


A New Life

by kwrites2222



Series: Kate Shepard [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-05-14 23:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 33,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5762188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwrites2222/pseuds/kwrites2222
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 2 of the Kate Shepard Series</p><p>"A New Life" = double-entendre... continuing the story after the war and where biology begins to cooperate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Round and Round and Round She Goes (or: The First Sign)

Shepard woke up with a pounding headache, but that wasn’t anything new these days. Even more than a year after she’d destroyed the Reapers, she was still putting out fires around the galaxy. It started out small at first: the geth had seemingly replaced humanity and the quarians as the object of the worst kind of racism, but they had the quarians on their side… well, most of the quarians -  and then it had graduated to larger issues like the rachni trying to colonize a new planet and refusing to help rebuild the mass relays until they were granted one. Luckily, her ties to the rachni queen ran deep, and Shepard had been able to put out that particular fire rather quickly, much to the Council’s relief. They’d promised her some leave, but it never came; it seemed like she was needed constantly. Had Ash ever been right – her fight certainly wasn’t over.

But huge strides had been made as well. The most-traveled mass relays were either complete or near-completion, and the Council had granted embassies to most of the species that had aided in the Reaper War. The remaining batarians had pledged allegiance to the Council and were working to rebuild the Hegemony and diplomacy with the humans, much to the surprise of… well, everyone, and Wrex had been offered a Council seat. Planets and homes were being rebuilt and the possibility of galactic peace was becoming more and more possible with each passing day.

The most surprising thing, however, were the advances being made in inter-species relationships. Due in no small part, she figured, to her and Garrus.

Her headache was beginning to make her feel nauseous, and she lifted herself out of bed to head for the bathroom. As she got out of bed, Garrus let out a loud snore and flopped over onto his other side. He’d been working just as hard as she was, and they’d hardly had a chance to just enjoy being together since they’d joined/married back on Menae. But now they were in a blissful lull, and they’d enjoyed as much alone time as they could manage without becoming complete hermits. They’d moved to the newly-constructed Citadel from Earth, into an apartment almost as nice as Anderson’s had been, purely because it was simply easier. Though, in the spirit of the growing amount of inter-species relationships, and the influx of species beginning to live on other species’ homeworlds full-time, a group of salarian scientists had devoted itself to creating food that was levo and dextro compatible.

It was rumoured that they were inspired by work Mordin had been working on before his death – the work that she’d contributed to. Her stomach turned inside out as she remembered the tests he’d subjected her to. He’d been multi-tasking as he tried to find a cure for the genophage, saying that studying the biological reproduction differences between levo and dextro would contribute to the genophage cure, but he’d never really told her exactly what he’d been up to. She probably wouldn’t have understood it anyways, but letting him prick her arm a few times and give her shots that made her vomit was the least she could do for the man. Garrus, however, wasn’t as easy to convince to help, but he’d done it purely because it had been important to Shepard, and they simply didn’t have enough antibiotics for Tali to be out of her suit for too long.

“Ugh,” Shepard sighed as the bile rose in her throat. She must have the flu or a stomach bug – she hardly ever got sick, but Chakwas had always warned her about how stress could make her sick. Besides, she was still on pills to help with the arterial reconstruction in her arm and whatever Chakwas had been making her take since she woke up in the hospital after the destruction of the Reapers, and the doctor had told her that nausea was a common side effect. But… this felt like food poisoning… or something.

“You okay?” Garrus asked sleepily, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, resting his head against it.

Shepard leaned her head against the cool toilet. “Ugh. I don’t know. I must have had something rotten to eat. My innards are turning inside out.”

“That was more than I wanted to know.”

“Hey, as my husband… ah, mate… whatever, you’re stuck with me for the long run now. So, vomit or no vomit, you promised that you’d be in it for the long haul.”

“Vomit or no vomit, hey? I _do_ remember that in your… what did you call them? Vows?”

“Don’t say vomit again. Oh shit,” she mumbled, throwing her head into the toilet.

Garrus knelt beside her and rubbed her back. “Kate, are you all right? Can I get you anything?”

She waved him off. “I’m fine. Just leave me here to die.”

“Okay, Vega. I’ll go make you some of that tea you like. Sound good?”

Shepard shook her head as she wretched again. “No. Don’t mention food or drink right now. Can’t handle it.”

“Damn it, Kate. What did you eat?”

“I don’t know,” she wailed, “but whatever it is isn’t happy staying in my stomach."

Garrus walked over to the sink and ran the water, and then handed her a cold washcloth. It was heaven.

She looked up at him and smiled brightly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

***

A few days later, she was sitting in on a Council meeting and watching Wrex and the turian councillor face off for the enth time about some issue or other. She wasn’t really paying attention, but staring out of the window and reminiscing about her bottle-shooting date with Garrus. Damn, that had been so long ago.

“Shepard? Back me up here!” Wrex said, bringing her out of her daydream.

“Hmm?” she asked, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What a surprise,” the turian councillor snapped sarcastically, crossing his arms in front of him.

Shepard shifted in her seat. “Look, I hate politics and politicians…”

Wrex huffed.

“You’re the exception, Wrex… and I really, really think that you should make a serious effort to get a human councillor. My place is out protecting the galaxy, not arguing about it.”

“You’ve been a fine stand-in,” Councilor Valern said, “and we agree with you. That was not what they had been discussing.”

“Well, it all tends to blend together. What were you discussing?” she asked, suddenly tired.

“Krogan-rachni relations are not strong enough for the rachni to be moving into the same system as one of our colonies!” Wrex began, “But the turian here thinks it would be a good idea to send them into the Krogan DMZ and… Shepard?”

She hadn’t realized that she’d been walking away until he called her name. She’d gotten up purely out of instinct. The nausea was back and she needed to find a bin… desperately. Shepard held up a finger at her friend, and then ran towards the bin beside the desk and stuffed her face into it, vomiting violently.

Wrex ran over to her, obvious concern in his voice. “Shepard? You all right?”

She wiped her mouth and stared up at him. “I don’t know. This is the second time in three days I’ve gotten ill. Maybe it’s being surrounded by so many politicians?”

“Hah! Probably. Should I call Garrus to come get you? Or can I take you to the clinic?”

“Thanks, Wrex, but I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve got a quad, Shepard. I’d take someone shooting at me over puking all over the place any day.”

“Just like you used to in the Mako, hey?” she joked, but the memory of it made her vomit again.

“Commander Shepard? Are you all right?” Tevos asked, walking over towards them.

Shepard shook her head. “Sorry. I seem to be sick. Didn’t mean to ruin everyone’s lunch.”

“Ugh. I don’t even want to think about lunch right now,” the turian Councillor said, “But it’s about that time. Wrex, why don’t we sit down for a bite and discuss this elsewhere. Valern, you’ll need to come to make the peace. Tevos…”

“I will stay here with Shepard. I’ll see that she gets home safe,” the asari councillor interjected.

Wrex gestured at the other two councillors. “I’ll check in with you after I’ve finished beating these two pyjaks at diplomacy. Hope you feel better, Shepard.”

“Thanks, Wrex,” she mumbled, her head still buried in the garbage can.

The men left the room and Tevos knelt beside Shepard, placing her hand on her back tenderly. “Do you think you can stand?”

“I may have to borrow this bin,” Shepard replied through breaths. She really didn't want to throw up again, but she knew it was inevitable. She'd never been this sick before, and she hated the feeling.

“I… think that you can probably keep it. I doubt Valern will miss it,” Tevos chuckled, “Ah, this brings back some memories.”

“Of what? Getting ill?” Shepard asked, failing to see any amusement in her current situation.

Tevos gave her a confused look. “Um, no. It reminds me of when I was impregnated with my first daughter. You’ll get used to it.”

Shepard stared back at her. “What? This is some kind of stomach bug. I’m not… I can’t be… I mean, my husband is a _turian_. It’s not possible.”

The same confused look came back onto Tevos’ face. “But… I thought that Mordin… oh, Goddess.”

“What aren’t you telling me, councillor?” Shepard snapped.

“Shepard... I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you this. You might want to sit down.”

But the world was already swaying around her and she stumbled at first, reaching for the asari councillor’s outstretched hand, as she fell backward and fainted.


	2. Mordin’s Final Gift (or: Pesky Side Effects)

Garrus had been on a call with the Primarch when he’d been paged by Bailey’s assistant that there was an urgent matter with his wife and he was needed at Huerta immediately. Commander Bailey had been nice enough to allow Garrus the space to share his office while he dealt with the Primarch as returning to Palaven permanently was not going to be an option.

He’d rushed through the embassies, fraught with worry, and accidentally knocked over a volus diplomat on his way to the elevator. He didn't stop to apologize, because, he thought, he hadn’t killed the volus… though it _was_ difficult for them to get back upright after being knocked over. He had bigger issues than a roly-poly volus being knocked over.

Chakwas was there to meet him as he rushed into the main wing at Huerta, his mandibles flaring and his eyes wide.

“Dr. Chakwas!” Garrus sputtered, his relief at seeing a friendly, familiar face evident, “Is Kate all right? I was told it was urgent…”

She smiled at him. “She’s all right, Garrus. She’s sleeping now. Both are doing well, and there is nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, Spirits… good. Thank you… wait, what? Was there someone else brought in with her?”

“Why don’t we speak in my office, Garrus?”

Chakwas led him towards the back of the wing where the hospital had expanded into office space. They'd made Huerta even larger since rebuilding the Citadel, but it still smelled the same - sterile and bleak.

She closed the door behind him as he entered her office and sat behind her desk, facing him. He gave her a wary look.

“What’s going on, Dr. Chakwas?”

“Please, have a seat, Garrus.”

He sank into one of the two plush seats in front of her desk, his nerves on high-alert.

Chakwas sighed, “There’s been a development. An unexpected one. For everyone.”

“What? Is it the arm? She’s had almost full functionality in it. I mean, her trigger finger’s still a bit jumpy but…”

“No, Garrus, it’s not that. The arterial reconstruction has gone wonderfully. I cannot believe that I’m going to say this, but the implants Cerberus put in there… well, they’re more than worth their weight in gold. I’ve been after Lawson to come and work for me, but she refuses,” Chakwas paused, shaking her head, “Anyway, this has nothing to do with her arm. Do you remember the tests that Dr. Solus had asked you to be a part of whilst he was working on the genophage cure?”

“Yes,” Garrus shuddered. He hated needles, and there had been so many of them. Mordin had tittered about, speaking in scientific terms that Garrus had no hope in hell of understanding, so he hadn’t really listened.

“Well… he was studying the immune and digestive systems of levo and dextro-based life forms in order to synthesize a mutagen to allow both species to eat both levo and dextro foods. It’s likely he foresaw the need for this and I must admit that it would be a fantastic advantage with the amount of levo and dextro-based life living together now. But, back when he was alive, he was using you and the Commander as his control group.”

This was old news. “We knew that he was doing something like that, but we never thought he’d go anywhere with it. Working on the genophage cure wasn’t enough for that man… he needed something else to fill his time other than prodding Joker and chasing after Tali for suit swabs.”

_Or perhaps running tests on seashells._

“It was highly unethical. Performing tests on subjects without truly knowing the side effects or risks...”

_That salarian bastard._

“Is what he did making Kate sick? I swear... if he weren’t dead…”

“Yes and no,” Chakwas said, sighing again. She folded her hands in front of her on the desk.

“What do you mean?”

“He… succeeded. He transferred me all of the data and provided me with supplements that he claimed were to block out side effects, but after a thorough read-through of his data, well… it's simply just made her fertile.”

Realization was slowly hitting him. “Wait… made _who_ fertile?”

“Shepard is… she's pregnant, Garrus.”

The stunned silence filled the room, pushing against the walls until it became unbearable and impossible to ignore. But he still didn’t know what to say. Chakwas, evidently, didn’t either. They stared at each other; he in a daze, she in awkward, uncomfortable stillness.

“Wha… what do you mean she’s _pregnant_?” he finally managed, the shock making him shout.

“Mordin’s experiments and the supplements… he evidently found a way for levo-dextro offspring to become viable… and _this is_ _just a side effect_. As I said before, he was really trying to find a way to manipulate DNA and genetic code so that levo and dextro could eat any kind of food they desire. These supplements were to be taken for a year after the initial treatment. And, like I said before, you and Shepad were his control group. The samples and the injections he gave you both worked as the mutagen he was hoping for and then some – nothing serious -  but it looks like it worked well enough to make your DNA compatible and Shepard able to… um, become pregnant by you. You both should be able to consume any kind of food, levo _or_ dextro, now without any issues, but I’m at a loss about what to do with this pregnancy… it was an unexpected side effect. Or else Solus would have warned you.”

“But… I don’t understand… how is this even remotely possible?”

“I will need to perform more tests and go through the data once again to give you finite answers, but much of the language and analysis is over my head, frankly. It would be much easier if Dr. Solus were still alive, but… well, it is another reason why I’ve been trying to recruit Miss Lawson so desperately. Pregnancy is a whole new ball game when you’ve got cybernetics… and you’re carrying cross-species offspring. I’ve already spoken with Dr. T’Soni, and she will be arriving within the next few days. And I have… reached out to Maelon.”

“Maelon? Are you crazy? What the hell do you think he can help with?”

“He can help me make sense of this. And, think about it – if we could mass-produce this mutagenic treatment then we could end the worry of finding food for non-native species to particular worlds. Think of the peace and harmony that this could bring! And the benefits to inter-species couples! This could… put aside the issues that many have about cross-species relationships. Besides, I will likely need Maelon to help me with prenatal care. There has never been an instance of a levo-dextro hybrid before, Garrus, and I simply do not know how to treat it. Dr. Solus left detailed data on how he was able to create such a mutagen and make this possible, but I doubt even Mordin could have foreseen that it would cause fertility. I’m shooting in the dark, here!”

Garrus sighed and slumped in the chair. “I have to ask… you’re sure that it’s my… baby?”

“Yes. We ran scans. It’s much too early to run any kind of amniotic fluid test, but the fetus is most definitely levo-dextro DNA. No doubt about it.”

“Have you told Kate yet? Have you told my wife?”

Chakwas shook her head, “She was unconscious when the asari councillor brought her in.”

“Tevos? What did she say?”

“She… well, she knew. I guess Mordin had forwarded more than one person the data. He likely knew how impactful his discovery would be – the political and diplomatic benefits and ramifications for this kind of breakthrough are astronomical.”

“Why the hell would he send it to her, though? Why not Valern?”

Chakwas shrugged. “I wish I could tell you. There must have been a reason.”

Garrus stared at his hands, not knowing how to act, feel, or just generally what to do. The emotions he was experiencing were more overwhelming than on his wedding day – anxiety, joy, guilt, fear, happiness, and some anger. Mordin couldn’t have anticipated this if he was only working towards making levo-dextro DNA compatible with _food_ , could he? No, he wouldn’t have knowingly done that to Shepard.

“Are you all right, Garrus?” Chakwas asked, her voice tender, “You might want to take some time to let this sink in. And decide what you want to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I assume that you’d like to speak with the Commander about how you’d like to… um, handle this, no?”

Garrus gave her a piercing look. “Knowing Kate… that won’t even be an option. Don’t even think about saying anything of the sort to her, got it?”

“Of course, Garrus. Just doing my due diligence.”

He rubbed the top of his fringe. “Do you have any idea what this child will even look like? Is it healthy so far? What can we expect?”

Chakwas looked defeated and worn out. “Again, this is something I will need Maelon’s help with. It is too early to tell what the embryo will end up looking like, but we detected mostly a human physiological outline in the scans. Though there were some turian physiological indicators as well.”

“Like?”

“Like the potential for spur growths and turian feet. But it is still very early. I need help. If you or Shepard can contact Miss Lawson and convince her to assist with this pregnancy at the least… then… well, it would be a great help to me. Liara will bring as much as she can, but Lawson and Maelon…”

“I get it. We need them.”

The doctor nodded. “We do. Look, speak with the Commander. I'll join you if I'm needed, but I think it's best if you two speak privately first.”

Garrus nodded. “Yeah.”

***

The freckles on Shepard's nose were what Garrus was concentrating on – not on her eyes, so full of shock and surprise; not on her mouth, which had formed a gentle “O” shape; not on her hands, which she’d placed on her belly tenderly; and most certainly not on the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Just the freckles… just the freckles.

It took awhile for her to speak, and when she finally did, her voice croaked, “Well, this is a surprise.”

Garrus grabbed her hands and held them. “Kate…”

She yanked one of her hands from his grip and wiped her face. “Goddamn it. This isn’t really ideal, is it? Puts a whole new meaning to ‘unplanned pregnancy’, hey?”

He reached up and touched her face, bringing her in for a soft kiss. “We did talk about it, didn’t we?”

Shepard gave him a look, “I don’t think joking about being parents before we were both certain that we were going to die counts as talking about it.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

She sighed, “I don’t know. I’m… overwhelmed. I mean… me? A mother? My baby is my gun, and maybe the Normandy, and I couldn’t even keep those damn fish alive! The closest thing I’ve ever had to a baby was Grunt, Garrus! How the hell am I supposed to have a _baby_? To grow a baby inside of me… and it’s a human-turian hybrid to boot. I… oh _fuck_ … I’m going to get so huge, and I have to tell my mother, and…”

“Kate, stop! You’re not alone in this. I’m with you, and I feel the same way,” Garrus said, “You and I are in this until the end, right? No matter what happens. And now we’ve made it… uh, official, so there’s no turning back. This isn’t what we planned, but when have things ever gone how we planned?”

He bent down and brought his forehead to hers gently. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. “I’m sorry, Garrus. I guess I was saying ‘me’ more than ‘we’, wasn’t I? It’s just…”

“A little overwhelming?” came a familiar voice from the doorway.

“Liara!” Shepard cried.

“Liara? What are you doing here? Chakwas said that you wouldn’t be here for another few days,” Garrus said.

“Yes, well, I wasn’t expecting to find Maelon so soon. He was already here on the Citadel when my agents found him. It was a quick trip from where I was stationed after he was… ahem, detained,” Liara said, smiling at Shepard.

“Thank you for coming,” Shepard said, unable to hide the tears falling down her cheeks. “It’s going to be nice to have you around.”

“Oh, Shepard,” Liara cooed, pushing Garrus out of the way to hug her friend, “Of course! I won’t leave you. I… I just can’t believe that this is happening. What a blessing!”

“It’s just all such a surprise, Liara. I understand Mordin’s experiments, but you’d think he’d know the risks of potential side effects, especially if it could lead to _this_. And… I don’t know if I’m cut out for motherhood, Liara. What if I fuck this up?”

Liara looked at Garrus. “Do you mind? I think it may be time for some girl talk.”

Garrus shot his wife a look and she nodded at him. “All right. But you can’t keep me out for too long.”

He shut the door behind him as Liara pulled up a chair to Shepard's bedside and grasped her hand, nodding at what Kate was saying with an understanding, soothing look on her face.  

Chakwas was standing outside of the room, speaking with Maelon and a turian he assumed was one of Liara’s agents. Maelon was looking at Chakwas with an open mouth and shaking his head.

“I can’t believe the Professor actually succeeded! This will be a great asset to the galaxy,” Maelon was saying.

“Yes, it will. And we will need your help with it, as well as the pregnancy.”

“I will do everything that I can for the Commander and to help the Professor’s work be optimized for mass production. But I must have a look at that data.”

“This is highly-classified, Mr. Maelon. Can I trust you?”

“Of course, Dr. Chakwas,” Maelon nodded.

The turian shoved Maelon and then looked at Chakwas, “The Broker has assigned me to constant watch over this one, Doctor. You won’t have to worry about him.”

“Great, thank you. This way to my office.”

Garrus watched as the three walked down the hallway and turned to his omnitool.

_Miranda,_

_There’s been a development. We need your help._

_I told Chakwas I’d contact you, but you should respond to her messages - she’s not worried over nothing. Believe me._

_This situation is much too fragile for me to tell you about it in any way except for in person._

_If you get this, please let me know when you can be on Citadel._

_Garrus_

He leaned against the wall outside Shepard’s room and crossed his arms over his chest, at war with himself on how to feel. The reality of it all hadn’t sunk in yet. Him, a _father_? As soon as he and Shepard had married he was certain that he’d never have any biological offspring, but now…

“Mr. Vakarian?” the voice beside him made him jump.

“Oh, Councillor Tevos. My apologies – I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s quite all right. I can imagine that you have much on your mind. How is your wife?”

“She is doing well. Surprised… shocked, of course. Overwhelmed.”

“I can imagine. Is that Dr. T’Soni in with her now? I’d actually like to speak with her, too.”

“I’d give them a minute, Councillor.”

“Very well.”

“May I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Why did Mordin contact you about his experiment? Why not Councillor Valern?”

Tevos sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Dr. Solus contacted me because he figured that I would be the only one to be level-headed about it. Not that he was fatalistic, but I think he wasn’t expecting to survive your trip to Tuchanka. He wanted to ensure that his work was placed in the right hands. And those hands just happened to be mine. I can help this move through the correct channels, among other things… this is a massive diplomatic achievement.”

“I suppose so.”

“Dr. Solus had surmised that fertility may be a side effect, but he did not expect the mutagen to allow levo-based individuals to be impregnated by dextros… I mean, he suspected that humanity would be affected most of all being the most genetically diverse, but I highly doubt he ever suspected a levo-dextro hybrid to be a possibility. Especially when his experiments were concerned with food and liquid ingestion! But when I saw the Commander in Valern’s office today… I just _knew_  that she was pregnant. She had the same look to her that I did when I was with my first daughter. It all made sense.”

“Thank you for making sure she got the care she needed.”

“Of course, Mr. Vakarian. Commander Shepard is a great asset to the Council and to the galactic community. She's the reason we're all still here. Your child may be an even bigger asset. We need both at their best.”

“What do you need to speak with her about?”

“Diplomacy. We will need to figure out how we announce her pregnancy, as well as how we will announce this treatment when it is synthesized and available for public consumption. The side effect may actually make this a viable treatment for human-turian or other levo-dextro relationships in terms of fertility, as well. You know that there was a massive influx in these kinds of interspecies relationships after the news about you and the Commander broke? And even more so when you two were bonded officially. So, I’m choosing to look at this with hope instead of fear.”

“Well, I doubt Kate’s in much of a mood to speak about that right now.”

“Yes, well, she doesn’t have much choice. We need to get a plan into place before she starts to show and before people start asking questions. Have you informed your families yet?”

“No. Not yet. I haven’t even had much of a chance to speak with my wife.”

“Well, I’m sure that you’ll find the time," Tevos said, smiling.

Garrus sighed and leaned his head against the wall. Time. Sheesh. Time was the least of his worries right now.


	3. Still Sinking In (or: The In-Laws Find Out)

Hannah Shepard was getting sick of hospitals. The anti-septic smell and the sight of sick people made _her_ sick, but yet she kept finding herself walking in and out of hospitals for her daughter. Not that she minded – this was her Kate, after all - but she couldn’t shake the general feeling of ‘ick’ that she got the minute she stepped foot inside Huerta.

Her son-in-law had been much too vague when he had hailed her, and it was making her worried. She was worried as to why Kate hadn’t called her, and worried as to why her daughter was in hospital yet again. She’d been in the Krogan DMZ with the Orizaba when the hail had come in, and she’d jumped the ship to the Citadel immediately, and given her crew a few days’ shore leave. Hannah had expected some kind of push-back from Hackett, but he’d almost insisted that she take the time off – the man knew something. It was all making her so damn worried.

“Yes, hello, I’m looking for Kate Shepard,” Hannah asked the receptionist.

The receptionist gave her a blank stare. "I'm sorry, ma'am?"

"Kate Shepard? She may be under Commander Shepard, or Kate Vakarian?"

The receptionist continued her blank stare until her screen beeped. She looked down and her eyes got wide.

“Um, Commander Shepard isn’t here, ma’am.”

“What are you talking about?”

The receptionist leaned forward, her voice low. “Look, I know that you’re her mother. The Commander is here, but we have her under the name Solana Vakarian.”

“Oh,” Hannah said. Her state of worry was at an all-time high now: why the hell was Kate’s stay so secret that they had to use Garrus’ sister’s name as a pseudonym? “Well, then, I’d like to see Miss Vakarian.”

“Absolutely, Admiral,” the receptionist said as she smiled and straightened up. “She’s through the door there and in the second room on the right.”

“Appreciated,” Hannah murmured as she set off through the hospital, her mind racing. This was very unusual, and she felt as if she was walking in blind. And she hated being blind.

As she neared the room the receptionist had pointed her to, she noticed the familiar blue armor and fringe pacing outside of the door. His blue eyes pierced hers as she neared, and he stood up straighter.

“Hannah,” Garrus breathed, extending his hand, “I’m so glad that you could make it.”

She ignored his hand and instead swept him up in a tight hug. “Garrus. You were much too vague in your message – is Kate all right?”

“She’s… she’s fine. She’ll be able to speak to you in a moment. Right now she’s a little busy.”

Hannah peeked around him into the room. Kate was sitting up in her bed and speaking to someone out of view. Her daughter was smiling and seemed healthy. So, why the emergency hail?

“What’s going on, Garrus?” she asked, giving him a stern, but confused, look.

He shrunk at her gaze a bit, but crossed his arms over his chest. “Kate and I want to speak to you. Together.”

“Who’s in there with her now? How long will it be?”

“She’s speaking to Urdnot Wrex right now.”

“The krogan councillor?”

“Yes. They’re old friends.”

“Aren’t you close with him, too?”

“Yes, but they starting talking bureaucracy and I couldn’t handle it. I needed a breather.”

Hannah looked at him fondly. “You haven’t been home yet, have you?”

Garrus gave her a sheepish look. “How did you know?”

“You have the same look of exhaustion that you did back in Vancouver when she was in a coma. Less pronounced now, but it’s the same.”

He smiled, and looked as if he was about to say something, but the door opened to Kate’s room and a large krogan stepped out. Wrex clapped Garrus on the back and opened his mouth like _he_ was about to say something, but noticed Hannah and stopped.

“You must be Admiral Shepard!” Wrex said, extending his hand towards her enthusiastically. “Urdnot Wrex. It’s a pleasure.”

Hannah shook his hand and gave him a warm smile. “Likewise, Councillor. It’s an honour. And, please, it’s Hannah to you.”

“Bah! Save the pleasantries for the actual politicians,” Wrex laughed, “You’re here to see Shepard?”

“Yes. I’m here to figure out what’s going on,” Hannah answered.

Wrex gave Garrus a sly look and nodded gruffly. “Well, I should get back to it. I’m taking some leave to Tuchanka to see the brood in a few days, and I have some business that I’ve got to finish up. Garrus – we’ll talk later. Admiral.”

Garrus gave Wrex a nod and shook the krogan’s hand. He turned back to his mother-in-law. “Shall we?”

Shepard looked up as they entered the room, and Hannah swore that she could see a hint of fear in her daughter’s eyes.

“Hey, Mom,” she whispered.

“Kate! What’s going on? I’ve been so worried,” Hannah cried, running to her daughter’s side.

“Mom, why don’t you sit down?”

Garrus pulled up a chair and walked around the bed to stand at his wife’s side. He took her hand and held it.

Hannah sat and then darted her eyes between the two. “Please… just tell me. This is killing me.”

Shepard looked up at Garrus and he nodded at her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Mom… I’m… shit, Garrus, I can’t say it.”

“Kate…” he growled.

“Okay, okay. Mom. I’m… pregnant.”

Hannah was glad that she was sitting down. She slumped in her chair and her mouth hung open.

“What? You’re… you’re _pregnant?_ How?”

“You remember me telling you about Mordin Solus? Well, he figured out a treatment for levo and dextro DNA types to eat the same food without any issues. Garrus and I volunteered to help him and the treatment had a very unexpected side effect – fertility. We had no idea.”

“So… it’s a turian-human hybrid? I don’t understand… how can you carry a hybrid? Won’t it endanger the both of you?”

Garrus answered, “That was my fear as well, but we’ve been assured that both Kate and the baby will be safe throughout the, uh, pregnancy. The initial scans show that the baby’s physiology is mostly human, but likely with turian feet and spur growths."

Hannah stared at him and then at her daughter. She noticed that Kate was squeezing Garrus’ hand very hard, and her daughter’s green eyes were wide and teary. This was the second time that Hannah had ever seen Kate look fragile – and she hated it.

“Oh, honey!” Hannah said, standing up and embracing her daughter in a hug. “This is so wonderful!”

She walked around the bed and gave Garrus a large hug. He tensed but embraced her back and, as she withdrew, she noticed the surprise on both his and her daughter's faces.

“Mom… I….”

“What? You were expecting me to be disappointed? Or upset? Angry? How could I be? You’re bringing a new _life_ into this world! And, with parents like you, this baby will be strong and healthy and beautiful... maybe a tad stubborn.”

“You’re not worried about your first grandchild being half-turian?” Garrus asked.

“Of course not!” Hannah wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m so thrilled for you both!”

A bright, brilliant smile lit up Shepard’s face. “Really?”

“Yes! This certainly has been a few years of firsts, but that’s the exciting part, isn’t it?”

“Oh, Mom. I’m so glad that you’re here. I have so many questions.”

“Well, I’m sure that the doctors will be more help than I can be, but I’m here for you, sweetheart.”

“I’ll give you two some time alone. I should probably call Solana and my Dad and tell them the news,” Garrus said, slipping out of the room as Hannah let out a squeal and put her hand on Shepard's belly.

“I’m going to be a grandmother!”

***

_“Wait, let me get Dad. I’m sure he’ll want to hear your voice.”_

“Solana…”

_“Okay. We’re both here. What’s up, G?”_

“I'll just get right to it, then… uh, Kate’s pregnant.”

There was silence on the other end, until Solana finally spoke, _“Uh, what? Is this some kind of prank call? Because that’s not funny, and that’s not really how pranks calls work…”_

“Solana. Listen to me. This isn’t a joke.”

 _“You’re serious?”_ His father’s voice.

“Yes.”

 _“I can’t believe this – who’s the father?”_ Solana.

“Are _you_ serious? It’s me, Sol.”

 _“Wha- how? How is that even possible?”_ Solana again.

Garrus took a deep breath and explained everything he knew to his sister, and he could only imagine the look on her face and the way her mandibles were flaring as he spoke. But Solana just listened – she didn’t interrupt him the way she usually would. When he was finished, there was only continued silence.

“Sol? You still there? Dad?”

_“Yeah. I’m here. Dad’s here, but he’s still… uh, recovering from the shock. Just… wow.”_

“Yeah.”

_“Is Kate okay?”_

“She’s fine. It’s a bit of a shock to her, and she’s worried about the baby. She’s treating it like a mission almost – as only Kate can.”

_“And you? Are you okay?”_

He sighed, “I don’t know. I’m feeling so many different things about this, but I guess… well, I’m _nervous_ , Sol.”

_“This is so unexpected! I can imagine why you’re nervous, G. But… wow! This is so exciting!”_

“Exciting?”

_“Yes! I’m going to be an aunt! And to the first turian-human hybrid, too. What an honour. Is it a girl? Or a boy? Or is it too early? Do you need help? Maybe I could charter a ship and… Dad! You’re going to be a grandfather! Snap out of it!"_

“Solana – stop. We don’t need your help. Not yet.”

_“Oh, shove it, G. We’ll plan a visit right away. Yes… Dad, he’s serious. This isn’t a joke.”_

“No,” Garrus sighed, “Definitely not a joke.”

***

When Garrus returned to his wife’s room, she was alone and examining a datapad with a smile on her face.

“Where’s your mother?” he asked.

“She’ll be back tomorrow. Too much excitement for the old gal,” Shepard laughed, not looking at him. Her eyes were still transfixed on the datapad.

“What’s so interesting?”

“They’re doing more retrofits to the Normandy. They’ve changed the shuttle bay quite a bit – Vega’s going to be pissed!”

He brought the chair up to her bedside and sat, leaning on his elbows and clasping his hands together. “Kate.”

“Wow! _And_ they’re extending the bay so that we can fit a new tank in there… hope it handles better than the Mako…”

“Kate,” he said again, taking the datapad from her. “Can we have a chance to talk?”

“Yeah,” she said, repositioning herself in the bed. “We haven’t really had time alone, have we?”

“No.”

“Did you tell your family?”

“Yeah. Solana’s over the moon. My dad still isn’t sure that we’re not pulling one over on him.”

“Hah! Sounds like your dad.”

“They insisted on coming to visit.”

Kate smiled. “It will be good to have them here.”

He nodded and looked down at his hands.

“Garrus?” Shepard said tenderly, “Are you okay?”

“I’m… Kate… I’m _nervous_.”

Her smile widened. “I do tend to make you feel that way, don’t I?”

“Nervous, yes. But, this has all been such a whirlwind, and I’m not really sure how to feel.”

“Are you _happy_ , Garrus? I know that this probably isn’t what either of us really wanted, but now that we have it… I can’t think of letting it go.”

Garrus grabbed Shepard’s hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it gently. “That thought never crossed my mind.”

“So are we really going to do this? Are we really going to be parents?”

He gave her a smile and kissed her fiercely as she smiled back at him.

“Yeah. Guess biology actually decided to cooperate… with a little help from an old friend.”

“But Daddy’s rifle collection…”

Garrus laughed, “You’re having my child, Kate. Nothing will scare junior.”


	4. Paging Dr. Lawson (or: Only the Most Perfect Need Apply)

Miranda read and re-read the message from Garrus three times before she gave up on trying to decrypt the message she swore was hidden in it. Either he hadn’t hidden any message there, or he was really just desperate to get her to the Citadel.

“What’s going on, Miri?” Oriana asked, walking over towards her.

“I think I have to go to the Citadel.”

“Why?”

“Vakarian’s contacted me with a very vague message, but it seems urgent. Look,” Miranda moved to the side and Oriana squinted at her terminal.

“So it’s not Dr. Chakwas hounding you to come and work for her again? It’s actually from Garrus?”

“Seems to be.”

Oriana studied her sister’s face. “You’re worried.”

Miranda nodded. “Of course. If _Garrus_ is reaching out to me… well, then… it must be something big.”

“So what are you waiting for? Book transport to the Citadel right now!”

“Ori…”

“Miranda. You’ve always bitched about how you’ve never had any friends, and now you do. And they need your help. Go to them. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Okay, you’re right. I’ll go.”

Oriana gave her sister a mischievous smile. “Are you going to bring Dom with you? You should – the look on Shepard’s face would be priceless!”

Miranda glared at her sister. “Oriana, you have two minutes to walk away before I make you.”

Her sister laughed at her and then began to walk towards her own terminal on the far side of the room. “You’re thinking about it, though, aren’t you?”

“Ori!”

****

It had been awhile since Miranda had been on the Citadel, though she admired the obvious upgrades that had gone into version 2.0. It looked mostly the same, though, and it still didn’t do anything to quell her trepidation.

“You all right, babe?” Dom asked from her side.

“Yeah. Just odd to be back here, that’s all. You sure you want to come to see Shepard? You could explore the Citadel a bit.”

“No. I’ll come with you. I think you might need some support. You haven’t seen her for awhile have you?”

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Miranda murmured. It would be odd seeing Shepard again – they’d exchanged a few messages… well, Shepard had sent Miranda many messages, but Miranda hadn’t responded to most of them. She didn’t know why she was keeping her friend at bay, but at least she’d come to help now, right?

She meandered through the docking area towards the elevator, looking down at her omnitool to message Garrus that she’d arrived, when she felt a finger tap her on the shoulder.

“Miranda Lawson?”

“Yes?" Miranda turned to face the person attached to the finger.

"Ah, Dr. T'Soni," she sighed with relief as she recognized the face. She’d only met the asari once after Shepard had helped her with the Shadow Broker, but she felt like she was looking at an old friend. “It’s a pleasure. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. I’m assuming that you’re here because of what’s happening with Shepard?”

“Yes. What is going on? Garrus sent me a message but he didn’t really tell me anything.”

“It’s… sensitive, Miranda. I can’t talk about it here. Not out in the open. But it’s good that you’re here. Look, I have a meeting to get to, but I will speak with you later. We have much to discuss. Shepard’s at Huerta Memorial.”

“Thank you, Dr. T’Soni. It was nice to see you again.”

Liara gave Miranda a sincere smile. “Likewise, Miranda.”

Dom put his arm around her and watched as Liara rushed away. “Another old friend?”

“Something like that. Come on, let’s get to the hospital.”

They took the elevator up to Huerta, silent until Dom finally broke it, “Shepard doesn’t know about us, does she?”

“No. I haven’t said anything.”

“Well,” Dom sighed, stretching his neck, “I guess it’ll be a surprise.”

“What? Are you nervous to meet her?” Miranda teased.

“Of course! And you said she’s married to _Garrus Vakarian_ , right? Damn… two heroes living under one roof? It’ll be an honour to meet them.”

“You’ll do fine. Shepard is a wonderful woman. Vakarian… well, you might want to look out for him.”

“Not helping, Miri.”

She smiled at Dom as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the busy lobby of Huerta. Miranda walked towards the reception, but spied a familiar face sitting there, his nose buried in a datapad.

“Garrus?”

“Miranda?” Garrus’ eyes widened as he looked up at her. He stood and abruptly hugged her, catching her off guard. “Damn, is it good to see you. You got my message?”

“Yes. What’s happening?”

He gave Dom a wary look, but when he looked back at Miranda she could see the exhaustion in his eyes. “Kate’s pregnant, Miranda.”

She stared at him in utter shock, until it finally sunk in. “Solus…”

“Yeah. He was able to find a way to mutate the genetic code to make levo and dextro systems able to eat the same food, but also in such a way that it makes this possible. Chakwas and Maelon can fill you in. Chakwas will be pleased to see you. She told me that she’s been trying to offer you a job?”

“You never told me that,” Dom mused.

Miranda shot him a silencing look. “Karin doesn’t like to hear ‘no’. But I’m here for Shepard, not her.”

“So you’ll help her?”

“Of course. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. With her cybernetics, and having a turian-human child… you know, the usual.”

Garrus smiled. “Kate will be happy to see you. Follow me. Chakwas is in with her now.”

Miranda tried to stop her knees from buckling as she walked towards Shepard’s room behind Garrus. She couldn’t believe that the old professor had actually succeeded, and to make it possible for a levo woman to carry a dextro’s child – what a breakthrough! She found herself wondering about just how fertile it made someone… even someone like her.

They reached Shepard’s room and stepped inside where Chakwas was speaking with her in hushed toned. Both women turned to look at Miranda with surprised looks on their faces.

“Miranda!” Shepard exclaimed. “You’re here!”

“Miss Lawson. A pleasure as always,” Chakwas said, extending her hand.

Miranda shook it and nodded. “Garrus has brought me up to speed. Looks like you’re going to need another set of eyes here.”

Chakwas looked tired. “Yes. I need all the help I can get. Maelon has been invaluable in helping me to decode some of Dr. Solus’s data, but I need your expertise when it comes to the cybernetics especially. But, I won’t keep you from visiting first. I will be back in a bit.”

The doctor bowed out of the room and Miranda turned to Shepard. “How are you holding up?”

Shepard looked at Garrus and they smiled at each other. “We’re okay. I’m nauseous and achy, I'm okay. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course.”

There was an awkward silence and Shepard jutted her chin slightly towards Dom. “I don’t believe we’ve met… you are?”

Dom turned to look at Miranda, his eyes wide.

“This is Dominic Oraka,” Miranda muttered, gesturing to the turian standing beside her.

Shepard stared at Miranda with an open mouth. She looked at Garrus and he gave her a telling look… what it said Miranda wasn’t sure.

“He’s my… uh, he’s my boyfriend,” Miranda said, trying not to blush.

Shepard looked at her and then at Dom and a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Welcome to the club.”


	5. Into Dry Dock (or: Stir Crazy, Baby)

Shepard was sitting up in her bed, a book resting on her burgeoning belly. She’d been taking time each morning to read to the very active baby growing inside of her from the book of poems Kasumi had stolen for her, and it gave her a little time to collect herself before the neverending stream of visitors arrived and she had to answer the same questions over and over again.

_How much bigger are you going to get?_

_Do you know what you’re having?_

_When are you going to go public?_

_Can I touch your stomach?_

The last two questions were the ones she heard the most, and they were the ones that she had the most trouble answering. She really didn’t want people fawning over her and touching her stomach, although the baby kicked ferociously whenever a hand was placed on her belly – she wanted to believe that it was the baby’s own way of telling people to shove off. And, they’d decided to go public when Mordin’s treatment was ready for public distribution… though they weren’t totally sure when that was going to be, so she was basically sequestered in her own home. Though Solana was now staying with her and Garrus, and Miranda, Tali, EDI, and Liara checked up on her frequently.

The crew had been delighted to learn of Shepard’s pregnancy, though they were all a little surprised at first. Some had reactions that she wasn’t expecting; James had teared up and Joker had openly cried in delight, but it was Kaidan who surprised her most of all. He’d suddenly puffed himself up and actually hugged Garrus, clapping him on the back and congratulating him genuinely. Shepard had been expecting Alenko to cry, but it seemed to energize the man so much that James had joked that Kaidan would be getting “I’m an Uncle!” shirts made up for all of them. Kaidan had rolled his eyes at the comment, but Shepard swore that she saw a little spark ignite behind his eyes at the suggestion.

Shepard had also received a lovely collection of miniature model ‘weapons’ made by Wrex’s brood, and Tali’s adoptive son Jona usually accompanied his mother on visits, singing old quarian lullabies gently to Shepard’s belly. It all made her feel better about being increasingly immobile.

_The great Commander Shepard, sidelined by a baby._

There was a knock at the door, and Solana poked her head into the bedroom. “There’s a hail from Admiral Hackett over the QEC for you. Want me to patch him through here?”

“No, that’s okay, Sol. I’ll come downstairs. I need to walk around anyways.”

Shepard pulled herself out of bed and walked down the stairs to the living room, where she saw Admiral Hackett’s face on the screen. The man looked well-rested and happy to see her.

_“Commander Shepard. Nice to see you up and around. You look… larger than I thought you’d be.”_

She rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Good to see you too, Admiral. How are things?”

_“Things are well. I don’t have much time, but I wanted to let you know that the Normandy is shipping out for routine patrol duty in the Terminus Systems in a few days.”_

Shepard stared at the screen, unblinking. “I thought she was in dry-dock for the next few months.”

Hackett sighed and rubbed his eyes, _“This isn’t something that I’m taking lightly, Shepard. The Normandy is one of our finest ships, and it isn’t helping us sitting in dry dock; the retrofits are over, and she's still the most advanced ship in the Fleet. Besides, you aren’t fit for duty right now, and the Normandy is hardly a place for you to live or give birth. It’s a frigate. If it was a cruiser it would be a different story.”_

“I’m only five months pregnant, Admiral! I’m not an invalid. Besides, _I_ was born in space, and…”

Hackett sighed again, _“Commander, you’d be putting your unborn child at risk. You haven’t been cleared by Dr. Chakwas to be out of bed for very long, and you were ordered on constant bed rest in your first trimester. Alliance regulations forbid pregnant mothers to be placed in combat or combat-potential situations. Besides, you’re carrying the first ever turian-human hybrid. That baby is incredibly important in more ways than one.”_

“He’s right, Kate,” Solana murmured from beside her.

Shepard glared at her.

“I’ll chalk that evil look you just gave me up to you being hormonal,” Solana laughed.

“So… it’ll be a combat baby. I can help Traynor with… communications or whatever it is she does. Or I could help with infiltration strat or help mod ammo…” Shepard tried.

_“As I said, Commander, the Normandy’s tour is going to be a routine patrol of the Terminus Systems. It is unlikely to be eventful – that I can almost guarantee you. Lieutenant Moreau and Major Alenko will ensure that she comes back in one piece.”_

“Wait… what? Kaidan is commanding officer? That’s _my_ ship.”

_“And you’re officially on maternity leave. Alenko was the natural second choice; he knows that crew and they respect him. And, honestly, getting Moreau to listen to anyone else would have been a challenge.”_

“Okay… I understand,” Shepard sighed.

_“Please, Shepard, take care of yourself. The Normandy will always have a spot for you as Captain, and once you’re fit for duty, you can return to your post. Now we just have the next generation of Shepards to worry about.”_

“Uh… _Vakarians_ ,” Solana piped up, “Or Shepard-Vakarians… which, actually, should make you worry even more.”

Shepard shot her sister-in-law another glare.

Hackett laughed, _“Noted, Miss Vakarian. Shepard, I’ll be arriving at the Citadel next week to speak with the Council. I’ll need to speak with you then, too.”_

“Door’s always open, Admiral,” Shepard replied.

He nodded. _“Hackett out.”_

Solana turned to her as the screen went black. “You okay?”

Shepard nodded and placed her hands on her bump. “I just can’t believe Kaidan will be in charge of my ship.”

“Yeah, neither can I! Though I didn’t expect you to give in so easily.”

“Hackett is the highest-ranking officer in the Alliance. Besides, I’m exhausted. Carrying Spawn Vakarian around all day isn’t as glamorous as it sounds.”

Solana threw her head back and let out a roar of laughter. “ _Spawn_ Vakarian?!? Please tell me that you’re not naming the most important baby in the galaxy ‘Spawn’!”

Shepard smirked, “You don’t like it?”

“You are so full of shit, Kate.”

Shepard winked at her and moved towards the kitchen. She was hungry… again.

“I’m joking, I promise. It’s just a little nickname I have for it. We don’t know the gender yet, and it bugs Garrus every time I call it that.”

Solana laughed again, “He has been awfully sensitive lately. Bet he’d love to get some paternity leave.”

“Hah! He’d go crazy inside and hour. Which I would be, too, if you weren’t here Solana. I really appreciate you spending all of this time with me. You should be back on Palaven.”

“Trust me, I’d only be getting in the way back home. Dad said that rebuilding is still going steady but slow. Though Primarch Victus has been a major asset. Apparently the guy knows how to hold a hammer.”

“Good to hear.”

Shepard began to make herself a sandwich, and Solana looked on greedily. “Is it weird eating dextro food?”

Shepard chuckled, “Some of it has a _really_ terrible texture, but I don’t find that it tastes much different from most levo food. Baby craves dextro, though.”

Solana smiled. “Any word from Miranda?”

“She says that the first round of treatments are going well. The control group is made up of two quarian-human couples and several human-turian couples, including herself and Dominic. She’s really been enjoying getting to eat quarian food especially, though Tali’s been complaining that Miranda’s been stalking her for cooking advice.”

“Miranda Lawson… cooking and involved with a turian. I, never, _never_ thought this day would _ever_ come,” Solana murmured. She paused, and then asked cautiously, “Do you think that she’s trying to get pregnant?”

Shepard’s eyes grew soft. “I think that she’s hoping it will up her chances. She’s been told before that she’s infertile, so this has given her another kick at the can… so to speak.”

“ _Kick at the can_?”

“Human expression. It’s given her a new hope.”

“Ah. And, her… uh, partner? What do you know about him?”

Shepard bit into the sandwich and sighed happily as her craving abated. “His name is Dominic Oraka. General Septimus Oraka’s nephew. He’s a bit of an enigma – he’s a turian scientist specializing in biotic serology and genetics. So, naturally, he took an interest in Miranda.”

“And she took an interest in him? That’s hard to believe. I mean, this is _Miranda Lawson_ we’re talking about. She expedited Cerberus goals for how long? And now she’s fallen in love with a turian and wants to make turian-human babies?” Solana shook her head. “I mean, I like the woman and all, but I’m just finding that hard to believe.”

“Believe me, Sol, crazier things have happened. Miranda said something about how he’s the only man she’s ever met who may be smarter than her, and I’m pretty sure that he made her show him her medical report before they went out, which is scary-similar to her ‘dating methods’. Odd to say it, but they make a really good match, and I don’t believe that Miranda was ever xenophobic; she just simply believed in the advancement of humanity.”

Solana shrugged. “If you say so, Kate. So, when is the treatment going to be available publicly?”

“In a few week’s time. Councillor Tevos is handling everything. She’s having a ‘sit down’ interview with Khalisah Al-Jilani to announce the treatment and… uh, my pregnancy.”

“You’re not announcing it yourself?”

“Everyone who really matters already knows and, besides, I’ve always wanted to punch Khalisah in the face… with my hormones, there’s no telling what I might do.”

“I can see the headlines now: ‘ _Pregnant Commander Shepard Beats Helpless Reporter’_ ,” Solana giggled.

“Helpless?!? Do you _know_ Al-Jilani?”

“I know, I know. But don’t you want to announce it yourself?”

“Not really. Like I said, our friends and family know. That’s all we really need.”

Solana looked at her sister-in-law fondly and then sighed happily as she looked around the apartment, filled with framed photos. It made her only slightly jealous of the life that Shepard and Garrus had led as she scanned each picture: Joker and Shepard in the cockpit of the Normandy SR-2; the entire crew during a shore leave before the end of the Reaper War; Shepard and Garrus posing with weary smiles in her hospital bed after she woke up; a photo of Shepard and Ashley Williams in the mess hall of the SR-1; a family photo of Tali and Kal'Reegar; the Prothean and Liara standing together awkwardly on the Citadel; Shepard and Garrus’ wedding photo; Wrex and Garrus shaking hands at Wrex’s swearing-in ceremony; Shepard and her mother; Garrus, Solana, and their father on Menae after the Reaper War; and, tucked behind several frames on one of the coffee tables, was Shepard’s sonogram.

There were a few smudges on the glass of the frame as it had obviously been picked up and passed around frequently. Solana picked it up and turned it over, and was surprised to see a small marking on the back of the frame. She squinted at it and immediately recognized that it was a word written in turian lettering. It could only have been Garrus’s doing.

“Hey, Kate, have you seen this?” Solana asked, waving the frame about.

“What? My sonogram? Yes… I’ve seen it,” Shepard laughed.

“No, no. There’s a word in turian lettering on the back of the frame here.”

Shepard took the frame from Solana and squinted herself. “That’s odd. I’ve never noticed that before. Garrus must have written it. What does it mean?”

“It loosely translates to ‘something right’.”

A broad smile broke across Shepard’s face as she grabbed the frame and brought it to her chest. She didn’t say anything, but Solana could see the woman’s happiness radiate through her eyes.

“Something went right,” Solana heard Shepard whisper, “Just this once, just…”


	6. Showing (or: An Al-Jilani Exclusive)

“I’m joined today by Councillor Tevos T’Lani with an exclusive scoop on a brand-new treatment that will enable levo-amino and dextro-amino species to consume any type of food, allowing levo and dextro species to live together peacefully. Councillor, thank you so much for joining me today.”

“Thank you for having me, Miss Al-Jilani. I am so excited to announce this breakthrough.”

“We are excited that you chose ANN for this exclusive interview, Councillor. So, please, tell us more about this treatment; how did this come about?”

Tevos shifted uncomfortably. “It was a joint-species effort, but it is Dr. Mordin Solus that we have to thank for this. It was part of his plan for continued galactic cooperation after the Reaper War; it is likely that he foresaw the need for this.”

“Dr. Mordin Solus? The salarian scientist who gave his life curing the genophage?”

“Yes.”

“And you believe that he foresaw the need for this kind of treatment? Do you believe that it was his proximity to the inter-species relationship between Commander Shepard and Garrus Vakarian that caused him to pursue this?”

“That’s not a question I can answer.”

Al-Jilani tilted her head and a fake smile appeared on her face. Tevos drew in a sharp breath; she was expecting questions about Shepard and Vakarian, but not right out of the gate.

“How will this treatment be distributed?” Al-Jilani continued.

“It will come in pill form and will be initially available after a consult with a medical practitioner. The treatment will be available in Council and Systems Alliance space next week, and will be available galaxy-wide within a month. Eventually, it will become available over-the-counter.”

“Why not over-the-counter immediately?”

“This treatment is, essentially, a mutagen that attaches to your DNA; since each individual is slightly different, each individual will have different reactions. Side effects may vary from individual to individual.”

“What kinds of side effects are you speaking of?”

“In our control group, these varied. We found that the turian participants experienced very few side effects, while humans are more likely to experience more side effects due to the numerous genetic peaks and valleys within human genetic code. The side effects are minor.”

“What kinds of side effects are we talking about?”

“Nausea and dizziness is common in the first few months of treatment, though even the human participants in our control group did not experience severe nausea or dizziness. Muscle pain and soreness are also common. There may be more severe reactions, like heart palpitations or nerve damage, though these side effects were not experienced in our control group. However, our scientists did indicate that these more severe side effects are possible, so this is why the treatment is required prescribed and monitored by a doctor before we can consider offering this over-the-counter.”

“That seems fairly common for side effects. This is slightly hard to believe, especially if this treatment involves mutating our genetic codes.”

“Yes, I can see that. However, the best scientists and doctors have consulted with us on this project, and I know that you are familiar with Dr. Solus’ work on the genophage. He created it and cured it; genetic modification was his specialty. We also have great faith in the success that we have experienced with our control group. I do need to mention, however…”

“And all of this so that levo and dextro-amino species can live together without needing to worry about food?”

“This is a fantastic step forward to continued, mutual inter-species cooperation. We all know that we work better together, Miss Al-Jilani. However, as I was saying, there is one extremely common side effect that does need to be highlighted, though I’d like to reiterate that this treatment is specifically meant to allow all species to consume both levo and dextro-amino based foods.”

“And what is this side effect? How common is it?”

Tevos sighed, getting ready for the barrage of questions she knew was coming. “Enhanced fertility.”

“Enhanced fertility?” Al-Jilani asked, staring open-mouthed at the Councillor.

“Yes.”

“So… would this mean that, say, a human woman could get pregnant by a turian or quarian man?”

“Yes. And the reverse is also true: a quarian or turian woman could become pregnant by a human male.”

“How common is this side effect? Could this double as a fertility treatment?”

“No. As I said, the treatment is for food consumption only. Enhanced fertility is only a side-effect, but we like to think of it less of a ‘side-effect’ and more of a benefit. This side-effect is likely in 99% of all patients undergoing this therapy. This will simply mean that all species engaged in inter-species relationships of the levo-dextro persuasion will need to take birth control precautions if they do not want to become pregnant.”

Tevos could see Al-Jilani’s mind working overtime.

“So,” the reporter asked, “could a krogan woman and a turian man… mate?”

“The fertility benefit will only impact the species whom are viviparous, so it will not unable oviparous species like the salarians and krogan to have hybrid children, unfortunately,” Tevos explained calmly, “But we do encourage our oviparous species to partake in the treatment as it will enable them to consume dextro food.”

“Is it guaranteed that increased fertility is a side-effect? 99% is pretty certain.”

“No. We cannot _guarantee_ that this treatment will increase fertility as each individual is different and this treatment is intended only as a means for different amino-based lifeforms to consume different amino-based foods. Increased fertility is only a side effect and, like with any other therapy or treatment, side effects differ between individuals. We recommend, however, erring on the side of caution and for dextro-levo couples to treat birth control as if they could become pregnant.”

“Has there been an instance of a levo-dextro pregnancy among your control group?”

Tevos paused. _Here it comes_ , she thought to herself.

“Yes, but not among our control group.”

“Please explain, Madame Councillor.”

“As you are aware, before he cured the genophage, Dr. Solus served aboard the Normandy. He had his own control group there, where he…”

“Wait a minute. Are you saying that Dr. Solus had this treatment in development aboard the Normandy? What crew members was he experimenting on? Was Commander Shepard aware of this?”

“Commander Shepard was a part of this control group. She volunteered for this, though she was unaware of the repercussions.”

Al-Jilani was silent, and Tevos felt proud that she was able to make the most overbearing woman in the galaxy speechless. But, she also knew that it was the calm before the storm. The reporter looked as if she was fumbling for words.

“Is… is Commander Shepard _pregnant_ , Madame Councillor?”

Tevos nodded. “Yes, Commander Shepard is pregnant.”

“And the father is her husband?”

“Of course.”

Al-Jilani turned towards the camera, a broad smile on her face. “You heard it here first; Commander Shepard is pregnant with a turian-human hybrid. Tell us, Councillor, how is the Commander doing?”

“I am not at liberty to comment on the Commander’s well-being at this time. I am authorized to tell you that she is, indeed, seven months pregnant, is healthy, and will be returning to work after the birth of her child. Commander Shepard and Advisor Vakarian are very happy and looking forward to the arrival of their child.”

“But, you can’t comment on Commander Shepard’s state of mind during this time? I can’t imagine how much pressure is being placed on her. She is carrying the first turian-human hybrid after all.”

“Miss Al-Jilani, I am here to speak about this treatment, not Commander Shepard’s pregnancy. We are calling it LDM Therapy and…”

Al-Jilani tilted her head again and narrowed her eyes, holding up her hand to silence the Councillor. It was a bold, disrespectful move that Tevos did not miss.

“What do you say to critics who accuse you of trying to upset the genetic balance of the universe and force conformity and uniformity on the different species?”

Tevos smiled slightly. She was prepared for this. This was Al-Jilani after all.

“We celebrate the differences in our galaxy and would never try to control or consolidate these differences. However, after the Reaper War, dextro-levo couples have become quite commonplace and were expressing desires to reside together on colonial worlds or home worlds that may not have suitable food resources for the levo or dextro based individual in the pairing. This treatment simply allows them to live together wherever they choose without the worry of not being able to eat food. And, with the fertility side effect, it is certain that we will only be adding more diversity to this galaxy with the generations of hybrids that are sure to come,” Tevos said calmly.

Al-Jilani stirred in her chair, obviously unprepared for the councillor’s diplomatic response. “But how can we be certain that the hybrids will integrate into society? There are so many factors in play here; will they show biotic tendencies? How will they look physically? And, in the case of Commander Shepard: will the child be allowed into the Alliance or into the turian military?”

Tevos held up her hand. “As with each and every child born, it is the responsibility of society to welcome them with opening, supportive arms. And we _will_ do this for any hybrid children resulting from a levo-dextro pairing. They may have biotic tendencies, and they may not. Each will be a blessing within our galaxy, no matter what they look like. And, this will be something for the Council to discuss in the future as Commander Shepard’s child is still in utero. We are not overthinking this, and are treating the Commander’s pregnancy, along with any other future dextro-levo pregnancies as a miracle and a gift.”

“And Commander Shepard? Will she resume control of the Normandy once her child is born? Can you tell us how she is doing? How is her husband? Rumours are that he will be asked to replace Executor Chellick soon.”

“Miss Al-Jilani… I cannot, and will not, comment on Commander Shepard or Mr. Vakarian’s personal lives. I would expect the rest of the public and the media to do the same. They deserve our respect and to live privately. After all, none of us would be breathing if it weren’t for them,” Tevos said, her voice low. She shot a pointed look at the reporter.

“How is the Alliance taking Commander Shepard’s leave? Who is in command of the Normandy?” Al-Jilani continued, ignoring her.

“You will have to ask Alliance officials for their statement on the matter.”

“It’s rumoured that Admiral Hackett has been asked to step in as the new Human Councillor. What do you have to say about that?”

Tevos stiffened. “Admiral Hackett has been offered the position, and he is respectfully taking some time to think the matter through. As you can imagine, it is not a decision which one should approach casually. We are very grateful that Admiral Hackett is considering the position.”

“Do you have any other options for the position of Human Councillor? It has been almost two years since the end of the Reaper War, and no attempt has been made to fill the position.”

“With all due respect, Miss Al-Jilani, there have been many attempts to fill the position. As I have said, it is not something to be taken lightly. We are confident that a suitable candidate will come forward. I am happy to speak more about the LDM Therapy Treatment, as I was here to do so.”

Al-Jilani frowned and then nodded. “Yes, of course. We are, however, out of time. Can you please reiterate for our viewers as to when will the therapy be ready for widespread use?”

“The therapy will be ready for distribution here on the Citadel and on all Council homeworlds within a week. Individuals wishing to partake in the treatment can do so through their doctor or by visiting a government-sanctioned clinic. The treatment will be available on colonial and other worlds about a month after that.”

“Thank you, Councillor. Is there anything else that you would like to add?”

“No. I believe that I have said everything that I need to say. If there are any questions, we are accepting inquiries through the Council’s extranet site. Or, once the treatment is made available next week, you can speak with your doctor about any questions or concerns.”

“Thank you again, Councillor. This is certainly exciting news, and we cannot wait to see how it will shape our galaxy. For the better… we hope.”

“I’m certain of it. I appreciate this opportunity, and my thanks to you, the viewers, and ANN.”

“For the Alliance News Network, I’m Khalisah bint Sinan Al-Jilani. Good night.”


	7. Arrival (or: The Next Generation)

Shepard couldn’t believe that she only had one month until she was due to give birth, though she felt like could any minute. Her belly was larger than she ever though it would get, and she was exhausted from the consistent doctor’s check-ups and dodging the press.

The microwave beeped and Shepard’s belly rumbled; she wasn’t sure how big the baby would be once it was born, but she could guess that it wouldn’t be small… at least not with how much she’d been eating. As she pulled her food from the oven, she heard the front door of the apartment open.

“Garrus?” she called, confused as to why he’d be home so early.

There was no answer, but she swore that she’d heard footsteps.

“Garrus?” she called again. Her heart began to race, and she mentally pictured her pistol upstairs on her bedside table.

“You’re being paranoid, Shepard,” she muttered to herself, but her hand closed over the knife on the counter. She moved towards the front door slowly and silently, the knife at the ready.

She peeked around the corner at the door and was surprised to see it closed.

“Now you’re hearing things,” she said again to herself. Turning around, she came face-to-barrel with a gun.

“Not like you to leave your flank unwatched, Commander. Catching you with your guard down… wow. This was almost too easy.”

At the other end of the gun stood Charles Saracino… she thought. The man was unkempt and unshaven, with dark circles around his eyes and an infected, bloody gash marring his right cheek. His beard was scraggly and dirty. His eyes were sullen, sunken, and bloodshot, and his fingernails were cracked and yellowed.

“Charles?” she stammered, her heart hammering, “Charles Saracino?”

His eyes stared into hers coldly and he nodded. “Remember me, Commander?”

Her fight or flight instinct had her slightly confused; her training was pounding in her head to fight him, but her maternal instinct was telling her to run. She brought her hand behind her back and began to fiddle with her omnitool.

_Call Garrus. Call Garrus._

“Hands where I can see them, Commander, or I put a bullet right between your eyes,” Saracino sneered.

Shepard brought her hands up in front of her, trying to control her panicked breathing. “Why are you here, Charles?”

He tilted his head at her and gave her an evil grin. “You want to know what happened to me after the Reaper War, Commander Shepard?”

“Please, tell me. Let’s sit,” she began to move towards the living room. If she could get to the QEC then maybe she could…

He leveled the gun at her head. “Don’t fucking move,” he hissed.

“I’m sorry, Charles. I’m not moving.”

“You… you interrupted me, you _bitch_. Do that again and you’re dead.”

She nodded, her heart in her throat.

“I was still leading the Terra Firma Party after the War, but it became dangerous to be anti-alien after the entire galaxy united and your little inter-species crew saved everyone. And then you and that turian announced your relationship and everyone else decided that it was suddenly okay to be in dirty inter-species relationships. Suddenly, race-mixing became _okay_ and everyone wanted to live together like it was normal. All that shit was becoming normal and it _wasn’t okay_ , Commander. I wanted the Terra Firma Party to stand against it, just like we’d always done, but they told me that I was too radical… too racist. They wanted us to change what we stood for – they wanted us to become more tolerant. I knew that his was coming, especially after Cerberus attacked the Citadel, so I spoke to all of our members to make sure that they would stand with me and stand for our traditional values. But they turned on me. They all became goddamn alien sympathizers. They kicked me out. They left me with fucking nothing. And it’s all your fault, Commander.”

Saracino scratched the side of his head with the barrel of the gun, his behaviour growing increasingly erratic.

“And, now!” he cried, pointing the gun at her again, “You’re carrying that _abomination_. You helped make it possible for these demons to grow inside other humans. Human genetics will be forever changed by these _fucking mutants_ , but they all look at you like you’re some sort of prophet.”

“Charles, please…”

“Shut the _fuck up_ , you traitor!” Saracino spat, “You’re no prophet, you’re just a traitor. To all humanity.”

“We all need to work together, Charles. We’re better together, we know that. The new therapy will just allow species to live together. Don’t you think that that will make the galaxy stronger? The benefits for humanity – for all species – largely outweigh the disadvantages.”

“Don’t lecture me, Commander. This won’t end well for humanity. And that’s all that matters.”

“You can’t still believe that, Charles. Not after all of the great steps that have been made for humanity because of inter-species cooperation.”

 _Keep him talking,_ she thought to herself. She glanced at the knife that she’d dropped on the floor after Saracino had surprised her. She could grab it quickly and disarm him… maybe. She wasn’t moving so well with her large belly, and her first instinct was to protect the baby at all costs.

“You’re delusional, Shepard. You’ve had your head filled with pro-alien bullshit. Your turian husband has brainwashed you with anti-human propaganda. And now you’ve passed that along to your legions of followers.”

“No, Charles. You should know that about me. I’ve always made my own decisions. I’ve always stood for inter-species cooperation.”

“Why… why the hell won’t you call them _aliens_ , Commander? That’s all they are. They’re fucking _aliens._ They’re unnatural. Just like that _thing_ that you’re gestating.”

Shepard stared at him.

“After they kicked me out of the Terra Firma Party, nobody would listen to me. But they will after I prove that I’m right.”

“How are you going to do that, Charles?”

He took one step towards her, his eyes glowering. “I’m going to rip that demon child out of you. And when you and that thing are dead, the spell you’ve cast will be lifted and the masses will finally listen to me. They’ll finally see that my truth is the only truth!”

“No. You don’t need to do that, Charles. This isn’t the way to get your message across. Nobody will remember what you stood for, they’ll only remember that you killed Commander Shepard.”

“I don’t think so,” Saracino muttered, pointing his gun at her belly. “I’ll start with the child first. Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick for you both.”

It was now or never; her instinct kicked in and she bent for the knife, but her belly brought her off-balance and she fumbled for a split second. That second was enough for Saracino to bring the butt of his gun to her head and knock her on her ass as she grabbed for the knife. He hit her again in the head and she saw stars. Saracino lept on top of her and hit her again in the head with the gun, and then placed it on the counter above him. His hands closed around her neck, strangling her.

Shepard’s frantic search for the knife intensified as she felt the life drain out of her. Her training was basically useless at this point, and her only hope was the knife. Saracino’s grip loosened on her throat as his eyes moved towards the knife that she almost had.

“Reaching for this?” he snarled as he leaned over and picked up the knife. He pressed it to her throat and smiled at her.

Her heart sank and she resisted the urge to cry. Her only hope for her life, and for her child’s, was dashed.

“I guess that I lied, Commander. This won’t be fast. I’ll enjoy watching your blood pool around you. Or maybe I’ll just cut it right out of you and let you watch me slit its throat.”

“No… n…” she gurgled, tears forming in her eyes.

Saracino laughed maniacally and brought the knife to rest just below her belly button. “This is what you get for sleeping with the enemy, Shepard.”

She closed her eyes as he increased the knife’s pressure on her belly. “Garrus, I love you,” she whispered quickly.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang in her ears and her eyes flew open in time to watch Saracino’s head explode as he fell over onto the ground.

_“Shepard!”_

***

The moment that Garrus saw the man straddling his wife, with a knife to her belly, was the worst moment of his life, and he’d seen more terrible moments than anyone else alive in the galaxy. And, he’d never admit it, but watching the man’s head spray the kitchen cabinets with blood was one of the best moments of his life.

He dropped his pistol and ran towards his wife. She was still frantic, but he could see the relief in her eyes when he fell to the ground and gathered her into his arms.

"Garrus? Garrus… is the baby okay? Did he cut me?” Shepard stammered.

“No, Shepard, he didn’t cut you.”

“Then… why am I wet? Am I bleeding?”

Garrus looked at the ground and then at his wife’s pants. It looked like she’d peed herself, but he instantly knew that it wasn’t urine.

Her water had broken.

A month early.

“Your water broke. Can you stand? We need to get to the hospital now,” he said, trying to stay calm.

“It’s not time yet, Garrus! It’s too early. It can’t be my water…”

“Kate. It’s time. The baby’s coming. It must have been the trauma."

“But… what about him?”

Garrus stared in utter hatred at the dead man lying on his kitchen floor. “I’ll call C-Sec. We have more important things happening right now.”

Shepard nodded and tried to slow her breathing as he helped her stand up.

“Okay,” she breathed, steadying herself. “I’m a little dizzy.”

"I'm here."

She put her hand up to her forehead and felt the large gash where Saracino had hit her, and then looked at the red staining her fingers. “Garrus… what if I faint?”

“I’ll catch you,” he said, looking her over and his worry increasing, “I always will.”

***

"Would you like to hold your daughter, sir? I'll get her cleaned up and then you can have her."

Garrus stared at the nurse holding the baby covered in red blood in her arms as she stuck a bulbous tool in the child's mouth. The baby squawked and then began to cry as the nurse toweled her off. 

He felt Shepard's hand tighten in his grasp. "Garrus? Is she healthy? Is she perfect?"

The nurse swaddled the baby, minding the sharp talons on her feet and her fragile spurs and handed the baby to Garrus.

He stared at the new bundle of warmth placed in his arms; the little miracle of love that he had helped to create. His daughter was strikingly human, all except for her turian legs, and Garrus softly smoothed back the mess of hair on her head. She'd stopped squawking and crying and was now just breathing softly and smacking her lips together. 

He felt his heart fill up and he gently caressed his daughter's cheek with his finger, sighing contently at how smooth and warm her skin felt. Suddenly, her little hand shot up and her five tiny fingers wrapped around his. His heart raced and he was certain, in that very moment, that he'd never loved anything quite as much. 

Garrus bent down carefully and brought the baby to where Shepard could see her. Even in her drug-induced stupor from the emergency caesarean section she’d just undergone, Shepard's green eyes were clear as she focused on her daughter for the first time. The gash on her forehead had been stitched up and her one eye was bruised and swollen, but her eyes automatically focused on their daughter.

"She's perfect, Kate," Garrus said softly. "We did good. You did good."

A tear ran down Shepard's cheek and she reached up and wiped it away, and then reached a finger out to stroke their daughter's cheek. 

"She's so beautiful," Shepard whispered. 

"Perfect," Garrus agreed.

******

Vega woke himself up with a loud snore, and discovered that he was still in the waiting room of the hospital. Garrus had called them what felt like ages ago to let them know that Shepard was going into labour early, but didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t until they’d arrived at the hospital that Shepard’s mother had filled them in on what had happened. She’d gone to Shepard and Garrus’ apartment to grab some things and was met by C-Sec and a grisly scene in the kitchen. Vega almost wished that Garrus hadn’t killed Saracino; he would have liked to have met the man and bashed Saracino’s head in himself.  

Cortez's head rested on his shoulder, and the other man was breathing peacefully. Vega considered letting him sleep… for a moment.

"Get off, Esteban!" he said, shrugging his shoulders. 

Cortez woke with a start. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing, man. You were cuddling me."

"Hah! You wish, Mr. Vega."

Vega snorted and looked around the rest of the waiting room. Solana was sprawled across a row of chairs, deep asleep, and Admiral Hannah Shepard was sleeping in an upright position on the floor, leaning against the chair where Solana's head was. The Admiral's coat was draped over Solana.

Joker was in a mangled position in one of the other chairs, his mouth hanging open and drooling, and his ever-present SR-2 hat teetering precariously on the side of his head. EDI sat with her legs crossed, her eyes focused on a datapad, beside him. She looked up and locked eyes with James. 

"What time is it, EDI?" Vega asked. 

"It is currently two o'clock in the morning," the AI answered, keeping her voice low so not to wake the others. She shot a glance at Joker beside her and James saw her smile slightly. 

"Dios. How long have we been here?"

"Too long," Cortez muttered, "Shepard was admitted - what - six or seven hours ago?"

"Lieutenant Cortez is correct. We have been here for six hours and twelve minutes. You have been asleep for three hours and seven minutes," EDI replied. 

James opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped as a large turian shape, almost unrecognizable in scrubs, suddenly appeared before them. 

Garrus was beaming.

Cortez shook Solana and Hannah awake, and EDI nudged Joker, who woke with a start. 

"Huh? Wha-?" Joker said, his voice strangled. He looked up at Garrus and blinked a few times before reality set in. Then, he jumped up so quickly that Vega was afraid he'd snap a femur. 

"We have a healthy baby girl. Mom and daughter are both doing well. Kate's just feeding her now," Garrus said, his voice shaking. 

“Is Kate all right, Garrus? After everything that happened…” Admiral Shepard asked, her eyes filled with tears.

He nodded at her. “She’s okay. She got some bruises and scrapes, but she’s okay.”

“Good.”

Garrus looked down at his hands, and his mandibles flared out in a massive smile. “I’m… a father.”

Joker shook Garrus' hand heartily and looked like he might cry. "Congratulations, big guy!"

Solana jumped up and gave her brother a hug, an odd keening sound emanating from her that was magnified by her subharmonics, and Admiral Shepard began to weep freely. She hugged her son-in-law fiercely and then gave Solana a hug as well. 

"When can we see her?" Hannah asked, wiping tears from her eyes. 

" _You_ can go in now, Grandma," Garrus replied, "but the rest will have to wait. Kate's breastfeeding and… uh, I'd rather that nobody else see that."

The Admiral gave Garrus one last hug and then set off down the hallway at an almost skipping pace.

Vega walked up to Garrus and gave his hand a hearty shake. "Congrats, Scars. We have a new mini-Shepard that's going to be calling all of the shots now, hey?"

“Maybe pushing a few buttons here and there,” Garrus chuckled, still beaming.

Cortez shook Garrus' hand as well to congratulate him and Vega saw Joker wipe a tear away. 

But it was EDI who seemed the most emotional. Her robotic features twisted into a broad smile, though her brow was furrowed and it looked like she was... crying. She tilted her head at Garrus and opened her mouth as if to speak, but became too overwhelmed and ended up embracing the turian in an all-enveloping hug. 

When she pulled away, the level of shock was palpable. 

"What are you staring at?" EDI asked. 

Joker laughed, "That is the most outwardly emotional I think any of us have ever seen you. It’s the most emotional that _I’ve_ ever seen you."

"I am glad that what I am feeling is registering through the expressions this unit is capable of showing. I am so happy!" EDI said, her brow furrowing again. 

Garrus gave her a broad smile. "Just wait until you see her."

"What's her name? What does she look like?" Cortez asked, his voice high and giddy. 

"We've decided to call her London. London Ashley Vakarian. And she's... well, you'll see her - she's perfect," Garrus replied.


	8. London (or: Two Trained Killers Plus One)

James entered Shepard’s room silently, Cortez at his side. Shepard was sitting up in bed, cradling her daughter and cooing softly at her. Admiral Shepard slept in a chair in a corner, and Solana had accompanied her brother back to the apartment for the moment.

Shepard looked up and smiled at the two of them, gesturing with her head for them to come closer.

“Hey,” she murmured, looking up momentarily, and then back down at her daughter.

“Commander,” Vega said, stepping softly towards the bed.

She chuckled, “Please. This isn’t the time for formalities.”

“She’s beautiful, Shepard,” Cortez said, hovering over the bed, his eyes glistening.

“Thanks, Steve. Do you want to hold her?”

Cortez pulled up a chair to Shepard’s bed side and nodded. He tenderly took the baby from Shepard’s arms and then slowly sat down in the chair.

Vega hung back towards the end of the bed, staring at the little lump of baby in Cortez’s arms with a slight bit of trepidation.

“What’s the matter, Vega?” Shepard chuckled, crossing her arms and tilting her head, “Haven’t you seen a baby before?”

“Yeah, of course. It’s just…”

“She’s special,” Cortez interjected.

“Yeah,” Vega agreed, his eyes not leaving London. His eyes flit over to Shepard, who was still looking at him with an amused smile on her face.

“Did you and Garrus discuss names beforehand, ma’am?” Cortez asked, rocking London softly in his arms. She squirmed a little, and the blanket came loose a little, with one of her tiny, taloned feet kicking out. Cortez tickled the bottom of her foot and then carefully wrapped the blanket back around her.

“Not really. It came to us when we saw her.”

“I think London Ashley suits her perfectly,” Cortez said, not taking his eyes off of the baby in his arms. “And I love the meaning behind both names. She’ll honour them well.”

“You _are_ going to give her back to me at some point, right Steve?” Shepard joked.

Cortez smiled at the commander and nodded. “Eventually.”

“So... Shepard, are you okay?” Vega asked abruptly.

“I am now,” Shepard sighed, “I’m just happy that she’s here and that she’s healthy.”

“What happened?” Vega asked.

“James…” Cortez warned.

“No, no, Steve… it’s all right,” Shepard said, waving her hand, “I’m not sure how Saracino got through security and into our apartment. We’ve been leaving the front door open because we’ve had so many visitors. And he snuck up on me. Hit me with a gun. Threatened me. Then Garrus came home early and saw him and saved me. Same old story, right?”

“Why did he come after you?” Vega asked.

Shepard was getting uncomfortable, and shifted in her bed. “He wanted to kill me. And the baby. He said that she was an abomination and that he had to kill us to stop the ‘spell’ I’d cast over everyone. It was insane. He was spewing racist, vile shit everywhere. It made no sense.”

“Why didn’t you kick his ass?”

Vega studied her face, and his heart dropped to his stomach. Shepard looked… scared. He’d never seen her look anything close to afraid before; he’d seen her ‘oh shit’ face many times, but scared? Never. She didn’t reply.

“Well, I’m glad Garrus shot the bastard. If he hadn’t… well, I would have used Alenko’s Spectre clearance for some, uh, _private_ time alone with that piece of shit,” Vega spat.

“He’s dead now,” Shepard said dully, “What does it matter now?”

“It _matters_ , Shepard,” Vega insisted, “He attacked you in your own home. He targeted you specifically. What if there are others?”

Cortez stood up suddenly and tenderly handed the baby back to Shepard. “Mr. Vega,” he hissed, “may I speak to you in the hall? _Now._ ”

Vega stepped out into the hall and crossed his arms, looming over Cortez. But it was the look on the other man’s face that made him shrink: Cortez was pissed.

“What the hell are you doing?” Cortez snapped.

“What do you mean, Esteban?”

“Don’t ‘Esteban’ me, Vega. You’re going to grill her about being attacked _now_? She’s just given birth and trying to enjoy these first few hours with her daughter, and you’re in there reminding her how she almost didn’t make it. What the hell is wrong with you? You won’t even hold your new niece, and you’re acting like a hard ass drill sergeant.”

Vega looked down at his feet, ashamed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“I know. It’s just… they represent everything that’s gone right in this galaxy, you know? And to know that there was someone out there that wanted to take that all away _scares_ me, man.”

“Vega,” Cortez sighed, placing a hand on James’ shoulder supportively, “you should know as well as I do that each day is a gift. Even after… _especially_ after what we’ve seen. What we’ve done. We’re always living on borrowed time. So make the most of it. I understand that you’re scared, but now we have another new purpose: to protect the newest member of our crew. As long as we’re around, nothing will happen to London. Right?”

Damn. Cortez could pep talk with the best of them. There was a reason that it was usually his voice that James heard in his head.

“Besides,” Cortez continued, “what kind of N7 soldier are you? Standing here, telling me that you’re _scared_? Chin up, soldier!”

Vega laughed and saluted him. “Of course, Lieutenant.”

“Now get in there, apologize to Shepard, and hold your niece, damn it.”

*****

Garrus rushed back through the doors of the hospital, Solana at his side. He was already flustered from having to speak to C-Sec about the incident in his apartment, hating that he had to be away from his wife and new daughter for so long. It had only been two hours, but it had felt like two years.

Kaidan was exiting Shepard’s room as Garrus flew down the hallway.

“Alenko,” Garrus said.

“Garrus,” Kaidan nodded, turning to face him. His eyes were full of tears and a bright smile was plastered over his face. “London is beautiful. Congratulations.”

Garrus shook the other man’s hand gruffly and nodded. “Thank you. She’s a miracle.”

“I’ll say. I’m privileged to be in her life.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Garrus said, clapping Kaidan on the back.

“I… look, Garrus, I’m glad that we put our differences behind us and that you, uh, didn’t rip my head off.”

“It’s all in the past, Kaidan. Glad that you’re here. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to be with my family.”

“Of course,” Kaidan said. He looked up at Solana and met her eyes, and then down at the ground, smiling as he began to walk away. Garrus swore that he saw the other man blush.

He turned to his sister in horror. “What the hell was that?”

“What?”

“Kaidan just made googly eyes at you.”

Solana laughed, “I didn’t even notice.”

“It better not be reciprocated.”

“Garrus, stop. It’s not.”

He gave her a searching, cautious look, and then opened the door to Shepard’s room. “Okay. I’m trusting you. But if I hear differently…”

“Oh, stuff it,” his sister said. She brushed past him and walked towards the hulk of the man sitting in the chair beside Shepard. “How long have you been here, Vega? I think it’s well past my turn to hold her.”

“He won’t leave,” Shepard groaned in mock annoyance.

Vega stood and handed the baby to Solana. “I’m sorry. It’s just… she’s so _perfect_.”

Garrus smiled at the other man. He could sense Vega’s protective feeling over his daughter, and it was something that he was very grateful for, especially after everything that had taken place with Saracino.

Solana tickled one of London’s feet with a talon and the baby let out a little squeal. “She really is, though. I love her little feet. And her spurs are just so tiny and adorable.”

“I should go. Things are getting a little too… soft here for me,” Vega laughed, giving Shepard a pointed look.

She smiled back at him and nodded. “Thanks, James.”

“See you guys soon.”

Shepard turned to Garrus. “How’d it go with C-Sec?”

“Other than the fact that they kept me away from you two for much too long?”

“We missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Garrus said, leaning down and touching his forehead to Shepard’s. “How’s our girl doing?”

“ _She’s_ great. Not sure if I’ll ever get to hold her, though,” Shepard joked.

Garrus took Shepard’s hand in his and brought it up to his lips, kissing it softly. “You’ll have the rest of your life to. The rest of _our_ life to.”

Shepard sighed and gave him a tender look. “It's crazy, but it is a pretty great life, isn’t it?”


	9. Patter Songs (or: A Crash-Course in Mothering)

Jack stood awkwardly outside of the front door to Shepard and Vakarian’s apartment, staring down at the flowers she held limply in her hand, and feeling completely corny and soft. But this was important to Shepard, and she was looking forward to meeting the kid, so she’d visit, make nice, and then get back to her duty rosters.

_Shit, you look like a pussy._

She rolled her shoulders and her eyes and then knocked on the door to the apartment.

“Come in,” came Garrus’ voice from behind the door.

Jack took a deep breath and then walked through the door into the apartment. Garrus was standing in the doorway and gave her a broad smile as she entered.

“Jack, hey. They’re just in the living room. Can I get you something to drink?”

She bit her lip and resisted the urge to ask for alcohol. “Water, thanks.”

He chuckled, “A bit tame for you, isn’t it? Sure you wouldn’t want… juice… or something?”

“Bite me, Garrus.”

“All right, all right. One water, coming right up.”

She made a face at him and walked through the large apartment until she heard Shepard speaking to someone.

“I swear, Mom, I’m all right. You don’t need to stay here.”

“But, Kate… what if something happens again? You’re vulnerable, and…”

“Mom, I’ll be okay. Security’s been ramped up and now I don’t have an enormous baby in my belly, so I won’t be caught off-guard again.”

Jack walked into the room and spoke up, “Shep, you’re still pretty huge, though. You won’t be able to move as fast.”

Shepard turned towards her and smiled. “Ah, Jack. As charming as ever. Thanks for having my back.”

“Of course,” Jack laughed, “I could loan you Eezo; he’s a hell of a guard varren.”

“Jack? _You’re_ Jack?” Shepard’s mother asked, stepping forward.

“In the flesh.”

Hannah looked the other woman up and down, frowning at her attire. “I can see that.”

“You must be Admiral Shepard,” Jack muttered, sticking her hand out.

The Admiral shook it gingerly, and gave Jack a warm smile. “In the flesh.”

“How is it being in charge of the Fifth Fleet? You took over after Hackett became Councillor, right?”

Hannah shrugged. “It’s more than I thought it would be. In every way possible. I’m enjoying it, don’t get me wrong, but I wish that I could spend more time with my daughter and granddaughter, though.”

Shepard crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Well, you’ve got a few days leave now.”

“And all that baby ever does is sleep!”

Jack laughed and then suddenly remembered the flowers she was holding. She thrust them awkwardly towards Shepard. “Uh, here. I got these for you. Congratulations… on, you know, becoming a mom.”

“Thank you, Jack. That’s very sweet,” Shepard said, taking the flowers and smiling. “Mom, would you please go and get London? I’m sure that she’d like to meet Jack.”

Admiral Shepard lit up and rushed out of the room just as Garrus walked in. He handed Jack a glass of water and stared after his mother-in-law. “What’s the rush?”

“She’s going to wake London up so that she can meet Jack,” Shepard answered.

Jack sat on the couch and looked up at Shepard with trepidation. “Do I have to _hold_ the kid?”

“Her name is London,” Garrus said firmly.

“Yeah… I like ‘the kid’ better. Why’d you name her London anyways?”

Shepard and Garrus looked at each other and smiled.

“We liked the way it sounded, and what that name represents and means for us,” Garrus answered.

“Besides, it’s _cute_ ,” Shepard added, a teasing air to her voice.

Jack chuckled, “Right.”

“So how are _you_ , Jack? Your kids?”

“They’re doing well. Most of the older kids that you met have enlisted with the Alliance, and I’m teaching some younger ones now that are about as hopeless as the others were. But they’ll get better. They always do.”

“Glad you’re still teaching.”

“Gives me purpose. Has… uh, London shown any biotic tendencies yet?”

“Not yet, but Miranda said that it might be a year or more before anything like that begins to manifest,” Shepard answered.  

“Here she is!” Admiral Shepard announced, materializing in the archway with a small child wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. She walked towards Jack and suddenly gave her the baby.

Jack held the child at arm’s length, a surprised and wary look on her face. London stared back at her, blinking her eyes sleepily and then her lips upturned in a tiny smile.

“Jack, I just changed her,” Admiral Shepard laughed, “You can hold her closer; she doesn’t bite.”

“She might,” Jack huffed, “I know what turian teeth look like.”

“She doesn’t have turian teeth. She’s got mostly human physiology,” Garrus sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“ _Mostly?_ ” Jack asked in bewilderment, looking the baby over. She was still holding her at arm’s length.

“Turian feet and spurs,” Garrus answered.

“Shit.”

“What?” Shepard asked.

London began to squirm in Jack’s arms, and she reluctantly brought the baby closer to her chest. London sighed happily and settled into her arms. A warm feeling rushed through Jack.

“Well,” Jack began, looking down at the tiny lump of warmth in her arms, “if she’s got turian legs and human everything else… she’s going to be a serious killer. And imagine if she’s biotic, too.”

Shepard and Garrus gave each other wary looks.

“I think two trained killers are enough for one family,” Shepard said, “And it’s a little too early to be thinking about that kind of thing.”

“Well at least you have Auntie Jack to teach you the fastest way to rip someone’s head off, don’t you, Little Lump?” Jack cooed, tickling London’s cheek.

Garrus let out a chuckle, and Jack blushed.

“Here. I think I’ve had enough, uh, cuddling for a lifetime. It’s influencing my badass meter.”

Shepard took the baby from Jack and laughed. London began to squirm in her mother’s arms and Shepard sighed, “Looks like it’s feeding time. Don’t go anywhere, Jack. We’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here.”

She watched as Garrus stared after his wife and child, a smile on his face.

“So…” Jack said, turning towards him, “you’re still sickeningly in love with her, hey?”

***

Garrus stopped as he walked past London’s doorway and listened to his wife’s voice as she sang gently.

“…blood of Shiagur in her veins...”

London cooed gently and giggled. Shepard could sing just about as well as she could dance, and it was obvious that their daughter was already catching on to her mother’s follies.

 “… she is the krogan queen… hurrah hurrah for the krogan queen…”

He peeked into the room through the crack in the doorway. Shepard was holding the baby in her arms and rocking her back and forth, singing softly and staring at their daughter’s face, a slight smile on her lips. London was had drifted off and was now sleeping peacefully.

“You know who taught me that song?” Shepard sang, “The man who made you possible. And we weren’t sure about you at first, because you were little more than a side effect. But… now you’re my whole world.”

Shepard kissed the top of London’s head and Garrus felt his heart melt. He had never thought that he could ever love Shepard more than he already did, but this just proved how wrong he was. Seeing her as a mother, even as unsure as she’d been, made him fall hard for her all over again.

It was… perfect.


	10. The First Year (or: Growing and Changing)

As the year went on, Shepard could feel everything around her changing. It wasn’t like it was a bad thing; they were just simply growing into the life that she felt had been designed for them. Though there were more… hiccups in the life that she and Garrus led than most other people’s, she found herself flourishing, not only as an individual, but as a wife and mother as well.

The individual thing she had down – she’d always been a private person, and she had always been sure that Jacob’s sentiment that the Normandy was her only true love was true, but now? She wasn’t so sure: she now had two people competing for the title. Garrus and London were her reason for existing, and, even though she was still a fiercely proud and loyal Alliance marine, their happiness and safety were more important than anything else. Even her own life.

London had sprouted into a fascinating toddler. She was fast, as Jack had predicted, smart, and beginning to display biotic tendencies. Shepard wasn’t sure how, but Miranda surmised that it was likely a mixture of genetics and luck. Genetics and luck were how London appeared in the galaxy in the first place, so Shepard didn’t question it. Her daughter was remarkably advanced for her age; she had said her first word at eight months and had graduated from crawling to walking at ten, even though she was a little unbalanced at first. But watching her grow and develop a personality had certainly been one of the best adventures that Shepard had ever undertaken.

It was also an incredible thing to watch Garrus as a father. He was the same man that Shepard had fallen in love with, but watching him with their daughter made her fall even more in love with him; he was fiercely protective over their daughter, but he seemed to relax into his new role as ‘Dad’. He ran around after London, laughing and playing with her, and he always made sure that he was home in the evenings to read to her or tell her a story before she went to bed. He was constantly impressing her; it was nothing new, of course, but it never failed to make her happy. 

What had impressed her more than anything was, if she could be so bold, was how she was taking to motherhood herself. Five years ago she never could have imagined this as her life; it wasn't what she had wanted, being a wife and a mother, but now she couldn't imagine anything different. She was ready, of course, to return to work after her maternity leave, but she found herself scared to leave London and Garrus if she was deployed, even if it was for a small amount of time. It was a foreign feeling to her; she could never imagine not wanting to go out on tour, and especially not returning to the Normandy, but the ship just simply wasn't her only love anymore. She had a family of her own now. The Normandy would always be home, though.

Miranda had become pregnant, and she'd eloped with Dominic a few weeks after she found out about the baby. Everyone had been ecstatic; Miranda was finally getting everything she'd ever wanted: marriage, a family, and love. It was as if everything was finally falling into place for the people around her, and Shepard felt constantly blessed that she was able to watch everything take shape. It had been a tough, tough road to get here, but every single bullet she'd ever taken, every sacrifice that she'd ever made had been worth it.

"What are you thinking about?" Garrus asked her, and she jumped. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips in the way that he always had. She became a giggly, soft girl when he did that, showing a side of herself that only he got to see.

"Everything that's happened this past year. Everything that we've been blessed with."

"Hmmm, anything in particular?"

"Well, I am always grateful for you," Shepard sighed, "but London... she's just a miracle. I would do anything for our family. And to think that all of the crap that we went through to get here would lead to this... well, I would do it all again in a heartbeat."

"You would?" Garrus asked, surprised. "Even dying? Almost twice?"

She thought about it for a second, but only for a second. "Yeah. Of course. All of it. I'd go through all of the bull shit again. All of the tears and heartache. I never thought I'd say it, but I'd go back through it all again. Even leaving Ash on Virmire, watching  _you_ almost die, letting Mordin go to help cure the genophage...  _all_ of it. Even those terrible, terrible moments."

"But,  _why_?" Garrus asked again, his eyebrow plates raised. He hadn't been expecting this conversation, obviously. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him. She watched London playing on the floor with her blocks, stacking them carefully. The look of concentration on her face reminded Shepard so much of herself, and the twinkle in her eye reminded Shepard of how Garrus looked when he was lining up a shot. 

"Because every moment in the past, every great, amazing thing, and every terrible, horrible thing, that happened to you and me. The crew. The Normandy... everything. Those moments... they all led up to this moment. To this amazing year."

Garrus sighed and slung his arm fully over her shoulders, bringing her into him in a tight hug and touching his forehead to hers. 

"You're right," he murmured, "It was all worth it."

She cuddled into the hug happily, smiling as London knocked the blocks over and fell over, giggling. 

"It was. All of it."

* * *

_"Remember," she whispered, "it's only when the night is darkest that you can see the light of the stars."_

\- Elizabeth Hunter


	11. There Are Monsters in the Dark Spaces (or: We Are Their Prey)

Garrus woke up with a start, his hand searching the other side of the bed for Shepard as it always did every time he woke up. The warmth of her body was comforting, no matter if he was waking up from a nightmare, or just in the mornings. Her warmth was like a metaphor for him; it represented the small, warm bubble that they were living in.

Shepard rolled onto her side towards him, her eyes still closed and her breathing still slow.

"Kate?" he whispered.

Shepard didn't answer; she was still asleep.

"Kate," he said, louder.

"Mmm?" Shepard groaned, not opening her eyes.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"That sound."

"Did you have a nightmare again?"

"No. It sounded like it was coming from the baby monitor."

"It's your turn," she mumbled, turning over to her other side.

He gave her a look, but he pulled himself out of bed, swinging his legs over the side and bracing himself for the head rush he usually got. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head of the fatigue. He pushed himself up and took another deep breath.

Garrus walked into the hallway and stubbed his toe on the doorway of his bedroom. "Fuck!" he hissed.

He heard Shepard sigh in their bed, and he clamped his teeth together. As level-headed as his wife was, he'd never known that she could fly off the handle so quickly the way that she did when he woke her up in the middle of a deep sleep. He'd never really understood the meaning of the human saying about waking a sleeping bear, but since he and Shepard had started living together... well, he understood.

The hallway was dark and he closed the bedroom door behind him before flipping the hallway light on. Drowsily, he walked down the hallway to London's room, trying to focus his eyes in the light. He reached London's door, and went to walk through it, but he almost ran into the door. He stopped, allowing his barely-conscious brain to come to terms with the fact that London's usually-open door was shut. His hand grasped for the knob.

The room was empty as he walked into it, and he reached for the light. He flicked it on, but the light stayed off. Confused and still groggy, he walked over towards London's crib and looked into it. It was empty.

Panic rose within him and his chest tightened automatically. He whipped his head around the room, checking for any sign that she might have crawled out of her crib.

"London!" he hissed, "Where are you?"

There was no answer, but the shadows in the room seemed to dance around him, almost taunting him. He raced towards the closet, in a panicked haze, and threw it open. 

"London!" he shouted, "Baby, where  _are_ you?"

"She's gone," someone behind him said.

He froze.

"Garrus Vakarian?" the voice from behind him asked. He felt the nozzle of a pistol press into his side. "Move and I'll send one right through you."

"Who are you?" he hissed.

"We have your daughter. She'll remain alive as long as you keep C-Sec and the Alliance out of it."

"What the fuck do you want?" Garrus asked, his body tensed as he tried to work out a way that he could disarm the man behind him.

"We want Shepard," the man said.

Garrus whipped around and tried to grab for the gun, but the man was quick and dodged him. He saw the flash of the gun as it went off, and he dove to the floor as he saw the man retreat into the shadows by the closet. He lunged for the man, grabbing his leg. He was shocked when his hand closed around a spur; the intruder was  _turian_ _?_ Garrus pulled the man's legs out from under him and the intruder fell to the floor. Garrus grabbed frantically for the intruder's pistol, and his pulse increased as his hand enclosed over it. He stood up and pointed the pistol at the man.

"Who  _are_ you?" he commanded. He still couldn't see his face. "Where is my daughter?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a female voice said from the doorway.

Garrus swung around to face the other intruder, pointing the pistol towards her, but he was too late. He watched as the figure in the doorway raised her own gun at him and fired, the flash of the gun illuminating the room.

The bullet ripped through him. The pain was the intense, familiar burn that he had been happy not to have felt in a long time, but it was excruciating all the same. He watched, helpless, as the two intruders ran from the room, reaching out as if to trip them, but they were too quick. 

“Garrus!” Shepard screamed, materializing in the doorway and rushing over to him. She dropped to her knees beside him. “Hold on. I’ve got medi-gel. Hold on, honey. I'm here. What happened? Who did this to you?”

He touched the wound and then pulled his hand back, looking at his fingers. They were stained blue. He looked up at his wife, panicking slightly as her face began to blur.

“London,” he choked, “Th-they took London.”

Garrus saw the panic flare up in Shepard’s eyes, and he reached to caress her cheek, but the world blurred for a moment and then everything became dark and still.


	12. You’re Here (or: That’s All I Need)

Garrus heard muffled voices and his wife crying. He’d only ever seen Shepard cry once... okay, maybe twice, but he’d recognize the sound of her sobs anywhere. He pulled his eyes open, and the world around him began to sway: he was evidently on pain-killers, but every instinct in his body told him that he needed to stop Shepard from crying. He needed to protect her from whatever was hurting her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. He tried to sit up, but he felt weak. Spirits, how he  _hated_ feeling weak.

"What do you mean?" he heard Shepard ask. Her voice was becoming clearer. "How did they get into our apartment? I thought that we were good after the whole Saracino incident!"

There was another voice, this one muffled, that sounded as if it were coming from an omnitool. He couldn't make out what it was saying.

"Are you kidding me?" Shepard said, her voice tense and loud, "How is that even possible?"

The omnitool voice spoke again, and Shepard's loud sigh cut through the silence. 

"Mr. Vakarian?" the nurse said, walking into his sight-line. He felt himself become frustrated and he strained to hear his wife speak further to the omnitool voice, but the nurse was bustling around the room and blocking out the voices. "Sir, how are you feeling?"

His throat was still dry, but he managed to squeak out, "Dehydrated."

"Of course. I'll bring you some water, but you must sip it. If you chug it, you'll become sick. You get sick, you become even more dehydrated. Got it?" she asked sternly.

Garrus gave her a look. "I'm not... a child."

"Yeah, but I know you military types. Just... _sip_ it, okay?"

He nodded.

"I'll let your wife know that you're awake."

"Thank you."

Garrus watched the nurse leave the room and speak to Shepard outside.

"He's awake?!" Shepard cried, "Oh, thank you! Bailey, I have to go. Talk to you later. Garrus is awake."

Shepard rushed into the room, her eyes moist with tears. She grabbed his hand gently and brought her forehead to his. Her eyes were red and surrounded in dark purple and black circles. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her skin was a sickly grey. Her green eyes were dull, but they brightened when she looked at him.

"Oh, Garrus. I was so worried," she sobbed freely. It frightened him.

"I'm okay," he croaked, "how long have I been here?"

"Two days," she replied. "I... I thought I'd lost you. I thought that I'd lost everything."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'd never leave you," Garrus said, brushing a piece of hair from her face. 

She stared at him and smiled slightly.

"Shepard..." he began, but she shook her head and pursed her lips.

"I've been speaking to Commander Bailey at C-Sec," she said, her voice tight. She walked towards the end of the hospital bed and stared out the window at the Presidium below them, "he thinks they've figured out how they got into the building."

"How?"

"He thinks that the doorman was on their payroll... whoever they are. They found him dead in the manager's office the morning after... uh... they took her, and the spare key to our apartment was gone."

Garrus laid back in bed and closed his eyes. "Who were they? Where is London?"

"I don't know," Shepard whispered, very obviously trying to keep herself from crying. "They released a VI into the security cameras that screwed up the surveillance vids. Bailey wanted to come by and question you when you're able. Did you see anything?

"Kate, come here," Garrus said softly, studying the side of his wife's face. She was very obviously trying not to cry, but her lip was quivering and her brow was furrowed. It was crushing him to see her like this, and he felt helpless lying there in the hospital bed, unable to protect her from all the evils that still plagued the galaxy. The evils that kidnapped their daughter.

Shepard shook her head and covered her face with her hands. She remained standing by the window, and turned her back to him, but he could see her shoulders shaking lightly. 

"Kate..." he said again, his voice breaking. "When was the last time you slept? Or ate?"

She didn't answer him.

"Shepard!" 

She jumped and turned to him, her eyes wet and red.

"Garrus, I thought that I'd lost you... again. And then having them t-take L-London, I..." she began to cry openly now, walking over to his side and clutching his hand. She brought it up to her lips and kissed it, and he felt her tears begin to soak into his skin.

"I'm okay," he said, grabbing her other hand in his, "And we are going to find London. We're going to get her back, I promise."

"What if they've killed her?" Shepard gasped. She collapsed to her knees and rested her head on her arms on the bed. He set his hand on her head and sighed, feeling his body begin to ache.

"They won't. They're doing this to get to you. That's what one of them told me when I asked him what they wanted. He said that they wanted you."

Shepard picked her head up and gave him a confused look. "What do they want with me?"

Garrus felt his breath hitch and his stomach jumped into his throat. "I don't know," he lied, "but I won't let them hurt you. I won't let them hurt London. We're going to find her."

She nodded and laid her head back down, but she still sobbed quietly. His heart burst open and he felt like his entire body was on fire; he was restless and furious. It was the same fire that had ignited in him when he saw Shepard lying in a coma after she'd destroyed the Reapers, and it was the same fire that he'd felt erupt all those years ago when he'd been told that she'd died - it was a fire fueled by hatred and vengeance. He let it engulf him and he felt his limbs tingle, and his fingers itched to feel the familiar metal of his Mantis in his hand. 

_"That’s what love does, I guess. Turns a guy like me into a nervous wreck with something to lose, and the aim to make sure he doesn’t. Nobody better hurt you, is all I’m saying."_

***

James Vega stewed as he paced back and forth inside Shepard and Garrus's apartment, taking in the scene around him. The C-Sec crime techs were upstairs in London's bedroom mostly, and then down in the lobby where they'd found the traitor doorman's body. He kept going over and over in his head how he should have seen the signs, how he should have done  _something_ , but it didn't make a difference now: London had been kidnapped, Scars was still recovering in the hospital, and Shepard was a veritable zombie. 

"So what do we do?" Wrex asked. He was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in his hands. He had come over the minute that the the Council had been alerted to the kidnapping and hadn't left the apartment for days. He and James were taking shifts: one slept on the couch and one on the floor, but neither of them had left. James wasn't sure why: the apartment was guarded 24/7 by C-Sec agents, but he couldn't bring himself to leave... he just couldn't.

Liara scratched the top of her head and took a sip of her own coffee. She'd been working herself to the max, sending out her agents and keeping a constant watch on her data and intel feeds trying to get an idea of just who these intruders had been and who they'd been working for, but they'd been silent and it was obviously incredibly frustrating for her. "We keep looking. We can't make this public; they might hurt London."

James' fists clenched and he shook his head. "We can't do anything to put her in danger. Has there been any ransom demands?"

"Nothing," Commander Bailey said, "I interviewed Garrus yesterday and he said that they only said that they wanted Shepard."

"That's all they said?"

"They... uh,  _shot_ him before he could get anything more," Bailey snapped.

James forgave him for it: they were all on edge and on very little sleep. Joker, EDI, and Kaidan were under a communication ban with the Normandy on a top-secret mission, but they'd be notified and asked back to the Citadel immediately after they'd completed their mission. Liara had called Javik and he was on his way back to the Citadel from wherever he'd been, and Tali and Kal were also travelling to the Citadel from Rannoch the minute that they could. The rest of their friends had been notified secretly, and the offers of help had cascaded in, but there was really nothing that anyone could do at this point except keep an ear to the ground. 

Cortex sighed on the couch beside Wrex, "What about STG? Have they come up with anything?"

Wrex shook his head. "Valern has the entire Salarian Intelligence network on this, but they haven't got anything. It's as if she was kidnapped by ghosts."

"This can't be happening," Cortex blurted. "We  _have_ to find her. What if they've k-kill..."

"Don't finish that thought," James yelled, "she's still alive! And we will find her.  _Someone_ has her. That kid means the world to all of us, and I, for one, am not letting two-rate mercs take my world away."

The others in the room looked at him through bleary, sympathetic eyes.

Liara nodded and walked to the kitchen, putting her coffee cup into the sink. She nodded and a fire lit behind her eyes. "You're right, James. I'll get back to my networks and have my agents on double-duty. We'll catch the trail."

Wrex looked at her and then picked himself up off of the couch. "I'll put some feelers out myself. I should get back to the office and get on this. See if I can't use some good, old-fashioned hot air to scare some of my snitches."

"A councillor with shady ties?" Liara chuckled, "I'm shocked."

James could feel the air in the room change, and nodded as he watched Wrex and Liara exit the apartment with promises to return the minute that they had something. He stood until the door closed behind him and then sat limply beside the lethargic Cortez on the couch.

And then, Lieutenant-Commander James Vega, decorated N7 soldier and self-proclaimed bad ass, began to cry.


	13. The Last Batarian’s Last Stand (or: Help Where We Least Expected It)

Bailey looked at Shepard, his eyes filled with sympathy. “I’ll try to keep the damn press off of your backs. I’ve got my best men on this – working around the clock.”

“Thanks, Bailey,” Shepard murmured, rubbing her eyes. They were red and sore from lack of sleep and crying, and she could barely keep them open. Garrus grabbed her hand and squeezed. They were sitting in their living room a few days after London had been kidnapped, but neither of them had slept, despite Shepard's continued pleas to her still-healing husband to rest.

"You haven't been contacted by them? There haven't been any further demands?" Bailey asked.

"No," Shepard choked, "Why wouldn't they contact us, Bailey? Or at least me. Garrus said that's what they wanted. Why wouldn't they at least try to draw me out into the open?"

"I don't know, Shepard," Bailey sighed, "I really don't know. I can't think of any explanation. They might be drawing this out in an attempt to hurt you or 'get to' you. They may be trying to make you desperate so that you'd consider anything just to get London back."

"Well, it's working," Shepard said dully. 

Bailey looked at her wearily and with a hint of fear. Garrus knew exactly how he was feeling: seeing Shepard like this was terrifying. It was as if she'd given up, and neither of them had ever known Shepard to give up. Garrus could understand in some sense, too - the thought of anything happening to his daughter was so horrible and overwhelming, that he felt as if he couldn't move. He felt helpless.

"Look, Shepard, we're handling this the best that we can. We've got everyone we can on this. We're getting outside help from everyone possible. We  _will_ find her. I promise you."

Shepard gave Bailey a weak smile as he stood and bowed awkwardly out of the apartment. 

Garrus slung his arm over his wife and they sat there in silence, both feeling as if they were only existing in the space and time. The apartment, though it wasn't, felt incredibly empty and quiet without their daughter. It was the worst sound in the world; the empty silence. London was the missing piece of the chessboard, and the game just simply couldn't go on. But checkmate hadn't been called yet, and Garrus still felt the glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Shepard's omnitool rang, cutting through the silence and surprising both her and Garrus. She answered it, her tired eyes taking some time to focus on the screen.

_"Shepard, it's Liara. I might have a lead. Can you meet me?"_

She looked and Garrus and he nodded. "I'll hold down the fort. I'll be here when you get back."

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

***

Garrus was sure he was hallucinating from lack of sleep when Wrex walked in to the apartment with Balak at his side. The highest-ranking batarian official’s eyes were wide and it looked like he was suffering from a lack of sleep himself. He got up from the couch to greet the two men, his instincts on high-alert at Balak's presence.

“Wrex? What’s going on?” he asked.

Balak looked Garrus up and down. “You look like shit, Vakarian.”

“Shut up, Balak. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help. I… I owe the Commander.”

“You’ve tried to kill her twice. You’re lucky that she’s not here right now or she’d probably try to return the favour,” Garrus snapped.

“When Commander Shepard spared my life and talked me down from shooting her at the apex of the war, she did more for the batarians than she ever knew. The batarians are now a strong and proud people, and I owe Shepard that. I can never repay her, but I thought I’d at least try.”

"What the  _fuck_ are you taking about?" Garrus asked, anger welling up in his gut.

Wrex gave Garrus a look. “Garrus, you’ll want to hear what Balak has to say.”

Garrus turned to Balak. "You have two minutes."

Balak moved and sat down on one of the chairs, obviously exhausted. "When I first heard that your daughter was taken, I was afraid that one of my people had done it, so I... looked into it. I even went to Omega myself to speak with Aria and ask her for help. She was shocked to learn of it, but we put our heads together and eventually we got a lead."

Garrus was taken aback. This was all so... _kind_ of Balak. And he never thought he'd ever see a batarian concerned, but Balak's face conveyed genuine worry. It was... touching. 

Balak continued, "Turns out that, even after the war that brought everyone together, there were some Eclipse defectors that decided they'd return back to their old ways and went back to Omega. They re-grouped there and a young asari commando rose to become their leader."

Wrex turned his head to Garrus. "And you'll never guess her name."

Garrus shrugged. 

"Melora. Melora Dantius," Balak said.

"Any relation to Nassana and Dahlia Dantius?" Garrus asked, shocked.

"She's the third of five sisters. The fourth, Georgiana, was killed in the Reaper War. The other, Farrah, was killed by Melora after she threatened Nassana years ago. Melora has always been a bit of a... well, she's always been a bit unstable. She blames Shepard for the deaths of her sisters and she's wanted revenge since Dahlia's death in 2183, but she just never had a chance to get close enough. And now with the war over..." Balak said.

Garrus sat down heavily. " _She_ took London. Does Sayn know about this? What do the Eclipse want?"

Balak shook his head. “It wasn’t Eclipse… these are ex-Eclipse mercs united under Melora. Aria has a constant watch on Melora's base on Omega, and we have good information that she's keeping your daughter with her constantly. Aria is confident that Melora still thinks that we haven't found her out. And Sayn will provide any aid he can – he’s… upset that this is giving Eclipse a bad name, even though Melora's gang isn't technically associated with Eclipse."

Wrex was steaming mad. "If that bitch hurts her in any way, I'll..."

Garrus held up a hand wearily. "So London is still alive?"

Balak nodded. "As far as we know."

Relief washed over Garrus and he felt his body go weak. "Balak... this is so unexpected. I am so grateful to you - thank you."

"I owe your wife more than my life, Vakarian. This is the least I can do. Anything you need from the Hegemony, you'll get. We'll get your daughter back," Balak nodded. 

"Thank you," Garrus whispered. 

The door to the apartment opened and Shepard and Liara walked through, both looking absolutely drained. But Kate stiffened and looked ready to fight when she noticed Balak sitting with Garrus. Her eyes widened and she looked at Garrus as if she was surprised that he hadn't shot the batarian yet.

"What's going on?" she snapped, staring at Balak, "What the _hell_ is he doing here?"

Garrus got up and went to her, placing an arm around her shoulder. "He's here to help. He knows what happened to London."

She glared at him, and he felt her tense up. "Did you have anything to do with it, Balak? Tell me now!"

"No, Commander. My people didn't, either."

"Shepard, Balak has exhausted himself looking for London. He and Aria have found her," Wrex said gently, "he wants to help you."

As Balak repeated his story for her, Garrus felt Kate begin to go limp in his arms. And then she did something he never would have expected; she rushed towards the couch and swept Balak up in a large hug. 

"Thank you. Oh, thank you so, so much!" she cried, sobs shaking her body. 

Balak look utterly shocked and stiff, but his eyes softened and he reached up to pat Kate on the back. "We'll find her, Commander. We'll get London back."

***

As the Normandy's airlock opened, Shepard felt the warm feeling of coming home. The ship was like a friend in itself, and as they boarded, she ran her hand along the smooth metal on the wall and closed her eyes. Home.

She could hear Joker and EDI quarreling in the cockpit to the left, and the familiar hubbub of the CIC just to the right of her. She smelled Kaidan's cologne wafting through the CIC, and could almost hear Daniels and Donnelly fighting in Engineering. As the rest of the crew filed past her into the ship; Tali and Kal, Liara, Javik, James, Kaidan, and Garrus, the feeling intensified. Her family was always going to be the crew, and her home was always going to be the Normandy, and now they were going to rescue the newest member of that family. 

Shepard patted the wall and took a deep breath. She wondered if the fish were still alive.

"Okay," she sighed, "time for another mission."


	14. Reminiscing (or: Romantic Revelations)

"Garrus? Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Me too. I can't sleep."

"We'll get London back safe and sound, Kate. I promise."

Shepard looked up at him and smiled, and then turned over onto her back and watched the stars rush by through the skylight. "I never thought I'd miss this room or this view, but I do."

Garrus followed her gaze and chuckled softly. "So many great memories in here. Like before our assault on the Illusive Man's base - that was a good memory."

Shepard laughed, "Our 'little performance'?"

"Yeah. But... then there were some pretty shitty memories, too," Garrus murmured into her hair.

"Like?"

"Like waking up here alone for two weeks after the Normandy crashed and not knowing when, or if, I'd ever see you again. Hell, we didn't even know if the Reapers had been defeated."

"That must have been hell."

"It was. Everything reminded me of you. The bed smelled like you. But, it's what kept me going, especially before we found out that you were alive."

Shepard sighed, "I can't imagine what that was like for you."

"Not something I care to recall very often."

"What memories come up most for you?"

Garrus stared up at the stars again and then his eyes darted to the fish tank, where they'd kissed before the Collector base, and then to the bathroom door, where he'd watched her get ready before she turned herself in to the Alliance. 

"About us?" he asked.

Shepard nodded. 

"Well, I have lots of memories of us that I think about often. But recently I've been thinking about the first time that we met."

"You mean in Dr. Michel's office? That was so long ago!"

"No, when I first saw you at the Tower. I was arguing with Executor Pallin and you were about to confront the Council about Saren for the first time."

Shepard smiled to herself. "What I wouldn't give to go back and tell myself what I know now."

Garrus snorted, "And the Council would still have discounted it. Damn politicians."

"What did you think when you saw us show up? A bunch of humans trying to take down Saren... must have been pretty comical to you."

"Not at all. I just wanted Saren to see justice, and I believed that you would be able to bring him to it. You seemed pretty determined and angry – what do humans say? ‘Hell bent for election’? It was inspiring. It gave me hope."

"Really? Is that what you thought of me?"

Garrus gave his wife a squeeze and then suddenly became shy. "Well, it's not all I thought."

Shepard looked at him in surprise. "Tell me."

"What I remember most from that moment was how frustrated and angry I was arguing with Pallin when I turned and saw this beautiful creature walk up with this determined look on her face, and she made time stand still. I completely forgot my anger and frustration."

"Wait, you thought I was beautiful then? I thought that you didn't have a fetish for humans," Shepard teased. 

"You? Nah, I was looking at Ash."

She punched him. Hard. 

"I'm kidding!" he laughed.

"You'd better be," she growled in mock jealousy. 

Garrus continued, "And then I saw you again in Dr. Michel's office and I couldn't stop staring at you. I thought maybe because I was finally getting some recognition in my bid to stop Saren, but I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful you were. It was very odd and confusing to me. I mean, to be attracted to a human the way I was - still am - to you... it wasn't something I ever thought that I'd experience. And then you brought me aboard the SR-1 and the feelings kept developing and growing stronger. I tried so hard to hide the way I felt from you."

"Why?" Shepard asked, her eyes searing into his.

"Because it was obvious that there was something between you and Kaidan, and you were always so professional when you'd speak with me. Besides, I wasn't human, and I was certain that you weren't interested. It didn't make me feel any differently, but it made me hold back from pursuing it."

"Is that why you went back to C-Sec so quickly after we defeated Saren?"

"Partly. It had become too hard to be professional around you at that point," Garrus admitted.

There was a comfortable silence then and he dragged his fingers gently through her hair, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin on his rough hide, and the way that their breathing always seemed to be in sync.

When he spoke again, his voice was mangled, "And then you died. A part of me did, too. So I ran away and found Omega. I deluded myself into thinking that I was avenging you somehow by killing mercs and helping civilians, but it was just killing off what was left of me. I was so numb and a shell of what I'd been before."

"So, when you saw me on Omega, did you feel the same way as you had before?"

Garrus paused to think about it, and the answered, "Honestly? No. I'd become so numb that the only thing that mattered to me was tracking down Sidonis and killing him. Everything else I put aside until you convinced me to let him go. I think I woke up that day."

"You were certainly a bit more open when we chatted afterwards."

"You mean when you propositioned me?"

Shepard laughed, " _You_ mean when I subtly indicated my interest in you?"

"You basically _told_ me that we were going to sleep together, Kate."

"What did you think I was going to say? Walk up to you and say 'let's get jiggy with it'?"

Garrus laughed aloud, "What the hell does that even mean?" 

"Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore... look where we are now."

"Good point."

Shepard snuggled closer into him and draped her arm over his chest. "You know, Kelly Chambers and I had a little chat about you before I came to speak to you. She told me that she thought we'd be a good match."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah... I... uh... kinda overheard."

"Garrus! Why am I learning all this now?"

"Hey! You asked for memories!"

"True," Shepard sighed, "Anyways, when she said it, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. You'd always been there - constantly having my six, supporting me and listening to me, being my best friend... and I had overlooked you. Then I realized that I'd always had feelings for you, but I hadn't been able to admit it to myself until then."

"And look where we are now," Garrus murmured. 

Shepard laughed, "I can't believe that you were in love with me back on the SR-1 and didn't tell me."

"Hah! What would I have said? 'Hey, Shepard, so I've got these feelings that humans refer to as a crush and I know that you're interested in Alenko, but wanna try something completely different?'. Besides, I was afraid that if anyone found out, Williams would rip my head off and we'd have a new human-turian war called: 'The Normandy Cargo Bay Incident'."

"Also known by the turians as 'The Vakarian Beheading'," Shepard said in her best 'announcer' voice. 

Garrus laughed and held his wife closer. No matter what happened to them, as long as they were together, they could make it through. It had always been that way. It always would be.


	15. Welcome Back Party (or: Omega… Again)

As Shepard walked into Aria's base, a hush came over the crowd. She could see that the base was full of Talons, and other merc gangs, along with a small contingent of batarian sentinels. 

Balak nodded at Shepard and turned towards the sentinels. "I'll need to speak with my men," he said, "I'll meet up with you later."

She nodded and then proceeded through the base to where she could see Aria standing, a holo of Omega in front of her. Her crew followed her, but she could sense their uneasiness.

"Well, at least they're not shooting at us," Garrus mumbled from beside her.

She smiled, nodding at the vorcha standing guard at the door. 

Aria turned as Shepard's crew entered and looked them each up and down, a mischievous smile on her face. "Welcome to the bowels of Omega... Archangel, Shadow Broker..." she turned to James, "uh... Meathead."

"Hey!" James said, but Shepard saw a slightly smirk to his lips. 

"And the Prothean!" Aria laughed, "I see that you've returned from your little hiatus."

Javik glared at her. "This asari is well-informed."

"I've been around a long time," Aria said. Her eyes softened and she looked down at her hands uncomfortable. "Look, Shepard, Vakarian, I... want to apologize. On my behalf and on behalf of Omega. Melora was here the whole time. Right under our noses. We should've seen it! I should've known. I..."

"Aria," Shepard said gently. "It's all right. It's not your fault. There's no way you could've known that this was going to happen or that it was happening. Don't take this on yourself. This is all on Melora. And she'll pay for it." 

Aria nodded at Shepard and gave her a broad smile. "Oh, she will pay for it. I'll make sure of it.

"Appreciated."

"I trust that you've seen our little army outside."

Shepard nodded. "Yes. What are they doing here?"

"They're our infantry. We've discovered the location of Melora's base. It's heavily fortified. These mercs owe you their lives Shepard, and now they want to pay you back in kind."

Garrus snorted, "And they'll fight for us? What makes you think that they're not working for Melora?"

Aria sighed, "Always suspicious of Omega's merc trash, aren't you, Garrus?"

"Can you blame me?"

"They're not fighting for you, they're fighting for me. They know what I do to traitors, and I'd bet my life that they won't turn on us. Melora had made many enemies by what she's done, especially Eclipse. Sayn and his men can't wait to get their hands on Melora's men. The Talon leader has volunteered for this because Melora has killed many of his men, and because it's the right thing to do. Nyreen... she would have helped without question."

"Fine. They'll be a distraction," Shepard said. "What's your plan for us?"

"Melora is likely in the most central room of the base. We'll need to get there, but it's a maze. We'll need to split into smaller teams. Eclipse and Talon forces, along with the batarian sentinels, will cover our right and left flanks and and provide distraction and cover fire when needed. We believe that Melora is keeping London with her, or at least close to her, constantly."

"Have you heard anything about London?" Shepard whispered, "Is she still alive?"

Aria's face softened. "As far as we can tell. We'll get her back, Shepard."

Garrus put his hand on his wife's shoulder and it seemed to comfort Shepard a bit, but Shepard's worry for her daughter permeated through. 

Aria narrowed her eyes and stared at the holo once more. "And when we find Melora, I will take great pleasure in watching the life drain out of her... nice and slowly."

"You'll have to fight me for that privilege," James said.

Aria stared at him. "We'll see. Look, Shepard, you don't have to worry about anything: I'll handle giving out orders and coordinating the attacks. You just focus on your daughter. I got this."

Shepard nodded at Aria gratefully. 

"Meet you at the doors by the armoury. I won't keep you waiting."


	16. Retaking London (or: The Galaxy’s First Daughter)

The way they were moving through Melora's base reminded Shepard of the archives at the Citadel all those years ago; the place was massive. She was glad that she had the old crew back together for this. Shepard looked beside her at Garrus, Liara, and Balak and smiled; she couldn't believe the incredible amount of help to get their daughter back. It was inspiring and, though it had given her pause at first, she welcomed it whole-heartedly. It had given her her energy back and revived her.

Kal'Reegar and Javik had each volunteered to accompany the Talon and Eclipse forces, and Tali had stayed back to help with communications and hacking into the systems at Melora's base. Shepard could tell that she'd wanted to come, but Tali was better suited for her hacking skills, and, besides, Shepard knew that she and Kal were trying to get pregnant: it was best to keep her out of harm's way. Kaidan and James had accompanied Aria as the strike team, with Shepard's team bringing up the rear.

" _Shepard, come in,_ " Aria said over comms as they neared the central point of the base.

"Go ahead, Aria."

" _We've got a visual on Melora. She's set herself up in a large command room. Guards on the entrances, and several more inside,"_ Aria whispered.

"And London?" Shepard asked. 

 _"No visual yet, but our scans show another room just behind where Melora is. They may be keeping her there,"_ Aria answered. 

_"Shepard, Sayn here. We'll create a distraction and lure the guards out. Aria, Vega, and Alenko can come in behind for Melora."_

"Thank you. We're almost there," Shepard said.

" _And we'll provide sniper cover. In position now_ ," the voice of the new Talon leader, Xerces, said in her ear. 

"Acknowledged," Shepard replied, "let's move!"

She could hear Sayn's commands to his men over her radio, and then there was gunfire and lots of swearing, but Eclipse had managed to draw most of the guards' attention. She heard Sayn command his men to line up the surviving mercs for execution. 

" _Traitors!_ " she heard him hiss over comms before more gunfire punctuated the steady hiss of the radio. 

" _Good work, Sayn,_ " Aria said over comms. " _Moving in on Melora now. She's distracted._ "

"We see you. Coming up on your right flank," Shepard said, leveling her gun and indicating Liara and Balak to move up ahead. Garrus stayed beside her, falling into step with her. Shepard could see the open door in front of them, and a blue biotic blast suddenly illuminated the windows of the command centre, with a large BOOM! thundering through the air as it detonated.

"Aria, report!" Shepard said, her pace quickening. 

The radio crackled and panic rose in her throat. "Aria! James!? Kaidan?"

" _Shepard, we-_ " Kaidan's voice came over the radio, but the window shattered suddenly and she watched as he came flying through it. 

"Move!" she cried, and they rushed into the command centre. 

Melora stood in the middle of the room, glowing a bright blue. She looked remarkably similar to Aria, but her facial markings were different and she was smaller. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit that matched the black of her eyes. Aria was slumped against the wall unconscious, and Melora was holding James in a singularity beside her. She looked at Shepard and gave her a wicked smile.

"Ah, the great Commander Shepard finally graces us with her presence," Melora said, dropping James from the singularity and then sending him flying across the room. "Come to finish the job? Too bad your friends weren't strong enough to even begin to go to work on me."

Beside Shepard, Garrus gasped. He recognized that voice,

"This is the bitch that shot me," he hissed.

Shepard felt anger and rage surge through her, and she focused in on her one good target: the woman standing in front of her. Shepard could see the bright blue haze beginning to emanate from her own skin, and she felt her biotics begin to power up as her rage intensified. She leveled her rifle scope at Melora, but didn't say anything. 

Melora tilted her head and pursed her lips. "You're here for your little daughter, aren't you? Of course! All of this _drama_. The merc squads banding together because you just have this way about you that makes people come together, don't you? You self-righteous _bitch_."

Shepard remained silent, examining Melora. She could see that the woman obviously had strong barriers, but Melora didn't have a weapon on her. It meant that she used primarily her biotics to fight, and Shepard knew that she could work that to her advantage. She'd have to distract Melora and bring her barriers down first, but it wouldn't be easy. 

Melora narrowed her eyes at Garrus. "You've come for your baby girl, haven't you, Archangel? Your little hybrid _freak_? How's the wound, by the way? Recovering quickly from where I shot you?" her voice was laced with mock concern.

She threw her head back and laughed maniacally. "That certainly was fun! The great Archangel, brought down by one measly bullet. Too bad you couldn't save your kid that night. You tried, so I'll give you that, I guess."

He motioned to James' Claymore lying at Melora's feet. "Pick it up, Dantius. Let's see who the better shot is."

Melora laughed, "Oh, sweetheart, I don't need a weapon. I _am_  a weapon. And if the great biotic Aria T'Loak can't defeat me, then I that doubt you'll be able to. She didn't even make a scratch. And, we all know that human biotics are no match for an asari. Especially of my caliber. But, please, try your best. I'll enjoy the show at the very least."

She advanced on Garrus, but Liara stepped in her way, and Melora stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, Shepard saw Aria stir. 

"Take one more step, Dantius," Liara snapped, "and you'll be wishing that you hadn't."

Melora laughed, throwing her head back again. She was  _enjoying_ this.

"Oh, Dr. T'Soni, don't kid yourself. Your biotics throw as much punch as a volus's does."

"Try me," Liara countered.

 " _Commander, it's me,_ " she heard Kaidan whisper over her radio, _"I'm back on my feet. Got a visual on London before the bitch threw me out the window. I can run to grab her, but I need you to keep Melora distracted. She's in the room behind Melora. I'll signal for sniper fire if needed."_

"Okay," Shepard said. She dropped her gun and Melora turned to her. Shepard's hands glowed blue.

"Hah! _You_ think that you can beat _me, Shepard_?" Melora asked, turning and walking towards Shepard. Liara followed her, keeping herself in between Melora and Shepard, her hands glowing blue and her eyes black in fury. "Well, I suppose that killing you is really what I want. I'll enjoy watching the regret in your eyes that you dared challenge me before I kill you."

"I want to know why you took my daughter," Shepard said, her voice stronger than she'd thought it would be. Inside, she was terrified. Not of Melora, but for London. If anything had happened, Shepard wouldn't rest until Melora was a stain on the floor... and ceiling. Her inner Subject Zero was dying to come out.

"Hmmm, let's see. You got a minute to listen in to what you did to make me hate you much?" Melora said in an almost sing-song way, pacing in front of Shepard. Her voice turned hard and cold, "You took _everything_ from me. My sisters are all dead. They're all gone! I didn't even get to say goodbye. That was your doing - _your_ fault!"

"You killed your other sister!" Shepard countered. "How does that make me any worse than you?" 

"Farrah was... expendable," Melora shrugged, "but Dahlia... Nassana... Georgiana? They were my world. I loved my sisters more than I've ever loved anything else, and you took them away from me. You took them all away from me."

"Your sisters were criminals. Nassana wanted to have Dahlia killed in the first place!"

"BUT YOU STILL DID IT!" Melora screamed, "You were the one who pulled the trigger on my poor, poor Dahlia. And then you just stood by and watched as that assassin took Nassana away from me, too. And Georgiana, she was a great warrior and a wonderful person, and she died, senselessly, on Thessia during the War. The War that started because of you and your stupid beacon! YOU are the reason that they're not with me today. You took EVERYTHING from me! So I took everything from you."

Shepard stared at her. Melora was obviously in a manic state, blinded and delirious by her grief and anger, but Shepard knew not to underestimate her. Melora was still incredibly dangerous and all that mattered was getting London away from her. So if Melora wanted Shepard, then she'd gladly take London's place. But she wasn't going down without a fight; she never would.

"And your sweet little daughter? Ah! She was just the tip of the iceberg. Now I get the pleasure of killing you _and_ your husband, too. I'd say I'm going to save the best for last, but I might as all start with you!" Melora shouted, launching a blast at Shepard. Liara ran in front of her friend and deflected it and moved to counter at Melora, but Melora was too quick and threw Liara out of the way as if Liara were a rag doll. 

Shepard threw a warp in Melora's direction, but she deflected it easily. Garrus and Balak were firing fiercely at Melora, but the shots bounced off of her barrier like they were rubber. The Talon's snipers opened fire as well, but Melora's barrier was incredibly strong. Melora was advancing on Shepard quickly, and Shepard knew that she'd have to wait until Melora got close enough that she could expend all of her energy in one devastating blast. She ducked and rolled from Melora's pulses, allowing Garrus, Balak, and the sniper fire to wear down the woman's barrier before she struck. 

But Melora was fast and powerful, and she managed to catch Shepard and throw her into the side of the wall. Shepard felt herself lift off of the ground, stunned from the impact, but she saw Melora glow blue once more. 

"I'm going to give you the headache you'll never wake up from," Melora seethed, "not this time."

Shepard closed her eyes and tried to break free of the hold, but she couldn't. She opened her eyes to see Garrus's frantic eyes as he ran towards her, and the blue light of the pulse Melora sent towards her. She heard it hit, and then she heard a body bounce off of the ground. Shepard opened her eyes as Melora's hold wore off and she dropped to the ground. Balak lay a foot away from her, his eyes open and blood bursting through a large crack in his head. 

Melora screamed in frustration, and sent another pulse towards Shepard, but she was now weak and Shepard easily deflected it. Shepard swept Melora up in a Singularity and Garrus began to fire again. One of his bullets finally penetrated Melora's barrier, and blue blood spurted from the wound on her arm. 

"You missed, Archangel," Melora spat through clenched teeth, "You missed, you-"

Suddenly, another biotic blast hit Shepard's singularity, and it erupted, throwing Melora to the ceiling and knocking her out immdiately. Shepard looked on, wide-eyed, as a furious Aria T'Loak spit on the ground beside Melora's unconscious body. 

"That's for thinking that you beat me, you fucking bitch," Aria spat. 

Garrus ran to Shepard. "Are you okay?

Shepard nodded, but looked at Balak's body on the ground near her, her heart heavy. "He saved me. He saved my life."

Garrus nodded, pulling his wife in close for a hug. "I know. I saw it. It was very brave."

"We'll make sure that he gets a hero's send off," Aria said, her eyes dark as she looked at Balak, "He deserves that much."

"He does," Shepard said, "Rest in peace, Balak." Turning to Melora, she tried to steady her voice as she hissed, "What about _her_?"

Aria grinned. "Oh, I have something very special in mind for her."


	17. The Last Dantius Sister (or: Vega's Revenge)

“Mommy! Daddy!”

The little voice seemed to bring everyone in the room back to reality as London raced towards her parents, Kaidan limping behind her. Shepard scooped her daughter up in her arms and tried not to cry as relief washed over her. London didn't have a scratch on her, but she was crying and she looked pale. 

"Oh, my sweetheart," Shepard cried into her daughter's hair, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I want home," London sniffed, shoving her thumb in her mouth and snuggling into her mother's arms.

Garrus seemed to envelop his family, shielding them from where Melora was lying, and checked his daughter over. London calmed immediately at her father's touch, and Shepard felt her husband relax beside her. A small smile crept onto her lips, not just because of the relief she was feeling, but because - no matter what happened - Garrus' loyalty and determination never wavered, especially when it came to his girls. It was one of he main reasons she loved him so damn much. 

"I'm going back," she announced to the group, "London needs medical attention."

Shepard didn't even glance at the unconscious body of Melora Dantius. She wanted nothing more than to put a bullet between the woman's eyes, and she feared that she'd reflexively do it if she looked back at her. Garrus was standing stick straight beside her, his fists clenching and unclenching as he stared at Melora Dantius laying on the ground. She knew that he felt the same. 

"Garrus?" Shepard asked softly, rocking her daughter in her arms. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"I want to kill her, Kate. I want to kill her," he whispered, "More than I've ever wanted to kill someone. More than the Reapers... hell, more than Sidonis."

"I know, Garrus. But we have to take care of our daughter right now."

Aria piped up from beside Garrus, "Don't worry yourselves about Melora's fate. Like I said: I have a special idea in mind for her; something that just might be worse than death. She will pay for everything she's done."

"Count me in," Vega said through gritted teeth as he limped towards them, "I want to make sure that this bitch gets exactly what she deserves."

"I like your spirit, Vega," Aria said approvingly. 

Garrus stared at her, and then back at his wife and child. Aria could see how the man softened visibly when he looked at Shepard and London. He really loved them. And Aria knew that, while he wanted to break every bone in Melora's body, he knew his first priority was his family. It made him a good father, but an even better soldier. 

"All right," he sighed, taking his daughter from Shepard. London stopped squirming immediately and snuggled into his neck, her thumb still firmly in her mouth. Shepard smiled and rubbed her daughter's back fondly. "But I want receipts, Aria."

"It'll be a regular snuff film," she cracked. 

"Not funny," Shepard said.

"Melora will get what she deserves," Aria assured them, "I'll keep you updated."

Garrus and Shepard turned and began to walk back through the maze of the streets, hand-in-hand. London looked over Garrus' shoulder at Aria, and Aria was suddenly struck by the child: her eyes were the sharp and piercing blue of her father's, and her hair was the same thick, black, wavy mess her mother usually piled on top of her head. But, most telling of all, was the obvious spark behind London's eyes: that, Aria knew, was the combination of both Shepard and Garrus. 

"That kid is going to do great things," Aria muttered under her breath. 

***

Aria brought her hand hard across Melora's face, grinning as the woman cried out in pain. 

"Here's the thing, Melora. You made Eclipse look bad and you made Omega look bad. Admittedly, you even made me look back. And Eclipse and Omega owe Shepard and Vakarian more than you'll ever know. _I_ owe Shepard more than you'll ever know. It's a pretty big debt - get the picture? And now you've given us a chance to at least somewhat repay this debt. They won't be satisfied until I bring them your head."

"It was worth it," Melora spat, struggling against her bonds, "To see the panic on the legendary Archangel's face when he thought that his mutant daughter was dead... and to watch Commander Shepard in pain - oh, it was all so worth it. My sisters are all dead because of her! I should have just killed that kid and let them feel the same pain that they caused me."

"And Balak?" James asked, "You didn't have to kill him."

"Yes, I did," Melora said simply, "he got in my way."

"You're insane," Vega said.

"Am I? I'll always be remembered as the asari who finally brought Commander Shepard to her knees. I almost beat you all. Every merc that's ever wanted to lash out against your oppressive regime will remember my name and my cause. And they will avenge me!"

Aria slapped Melora again, her brow furrowed with anger and hatred. "You're only going to be remembered as the asari who brought shame to Omega, to the Eclipse, and to herself. Nothing more. I'll make sure of it."

Melora stared at Aria, trying to hide the fear in her eyes. 

"Now," Aria said calmly, "you have two choices. You won't like either of them."

She walked around Melora, tapping her chin in mock thoughtfulness and Melora squirmed fiercely in the chair she was tied to. 

Aria bent down and got close to Melora, whispering in her ear, "You won't live past the night, Melora. So take the time to decide how you want to die. The citizens of Omega are dying to get their hands on you and, very literally, rip you apart."

A small, strangled gasp came out of Melora's mouth. 

"Or," Aria continued, "my associate here has expressed interest throughout this entire goose chase that he'd love to meet you and... well, make you pay for this gross inconvenience you've put us all through."

"Hah! Him? Lieutenant-Commander Vega?" Melora laughed, "He doesn't have the balls."

"Think carefully, Melora," Aria hissed, "either way, you die."

"We'll see," Melora said. She turned her head to James, "Come on, Commander, take your best shot."

"Oh, Melora," Aria chuckled, shaking her head. "Melora, Melora, Melora. Those are going to be your famous last words. You'll be wishing that I fed you to the dogs of Omega."

Aria patted James on the back and then walked towards the door. "I'll be back for her body."

As Aria shut the door, she could already hear Melora screaming, but she wasn't worried about the fate of the other asari. She was more worried about the budding attraction she was having towards James Vega, and seriously considering changing Omega's one rule... at least for the night. 


	18. Journeys with the Prothean (or: Adding to the Echo Shard)

The Normandy was quiet again. Everything was quiet again, but it was the comfortable silence, not the calm before the storm. And it was how Liara liked it. She didn't think that she could take anymore of the Shepard-brand action, but at least they'd got London back. The little girl and her parents were now resting in the med-bay and, though it was only a few feet away from Liara's room, she understood the family's desire to be alone. 

Vega, too, had requested to be alone. This struck Liara as odd - the usually outgoing man had been acting sullen and withdrawn since he'd killed Melora Dantius. Even after the squad had collectively agreed with his actions, Vega had been silent and unsmiling and had retreated to his workbench in the shuttle bay, brooding. 

The rest of the crew had followed his lead and dispersed as soon as they got off of the shuttle. And so Liara had retreated to her room with the intention of getting some sleep, but she found herself much too wired to get any kind of rest. At least she could work on her book. 

There was a knock at her door and she automatically called out "Come in!" 

Javik peeked his head into her room, his hands clasped behind his back. "Am I interrupting anything, Liara T'Soni?"

"No. You have good timing, actually. I was just about to start a new chapter on my book. And, please Javik, just calling me Liara is fine. You don't need to use my full name."

"I suppose I can do that. I was surprised that you invited me in; the rest of the crew has isolated themselves as if they all wish to be alone."

Liara shrugged. "They're all exhausted. It's been a very trying journey."

"And the James human... he has become unusually quiet. I would be triumphant if I had been the one that killed the kidnapper."

"He's dealing with it likely in the only way he knows how."

Javik shook his head. "Another human behaviour that I will never understand."

"Humans can be rather confusing, can't they?" Liara chuckled. 

"Yes," Javik agreed, "though their resolve is admirable. Though the child is not theirs, they still fought to get her back as if she was."

"We all did. London has many people that love her, no matter if they're human or not."

"Yes, she does. A remarkable thing to see; a turian-human hybrid. I suppose she could have come from a worse genetic line, though. I have read her and she carries the strength and resilience of her parents."

"They make a beautiful family, don't they?" Liara sighed. 

Javik nodded.

"What can you tell me about your family?" Liara asked, "Your parents, and - Glyph, please begin recording - did you have siblings?"

Javik looked out the window before saying slowly, "I try not to remember these things. The things you hold dear now: family, love, friendship... these did not matter as much as killing Reapers in my cycle. Each Prothean born was meant to fill an avatar position - soldier, scientist, healer - we were all meant to fight in one way or another."

Liara felt a pang of sadness hit her. "But, you're still someone's son."

"I was part of an empire struggling in a war we couldn't win. My brothers, my mother, my father... we were never a family unit. We were individual tools to be wielded against the Reapers. Other families were the same as mine."

"Do you know if it was different before the war?"

Javik sat and stared at his hands. "I suppose. Truthfully, I do not know. You must remember that Prothean civilization was centered on assimilation. Families were had because it meant more soldiers for the battlefields, more scientists to make weapons... it was not for love or happiness. Sons and daughters were born with a purpose: the continuation and preservation of Prothean civilization in the shadow of the Reaper threat."

"Do you agree with that? After everything you've been through?"

Javik gave her a searching look and she found herself squirming a bit under his gaze, her heart beating fast.

"I... do not know. I understand the need for children to be born and raised to fulfill a mission and become avatars, but without the cycles and the inherent need for war... I see the value of the family unit. I see the value of love and friendship as reason to exist and thrive. And when I observe the Commander and the turian with their child..."

Liara smiled. "I know. It's heartwarming, isn't it? The love is contagious."

"Yes. It is. It reminds me of the way the Commander looked at Vakarian before she left us on the Normandy during the final battle on Earth. It was a very powerful force between them. It was... hard for me to witness. It was as if I'd rather have gone in her place so that they wouldn't have to be apart. It was an... odd feeling."

"A good feeling?"

"Yes."

"You never told me this before," Liara mused. 

Javik smiled at her. "I am comfortable speaking with you. I believe that you are the only one who may be close to understanding me on this ship, though the AI assures me that she does."

Liara studied him for a second, her eyes dancing across his face. He certainly seemed relaxed and carefree, and she was positive she'd never seen him smile the way he was. 

"Well, I'm glad to hear it, Javik. Sounds like you're growing as a person. I mean... for one as old as you."

"Ha! You are older in active years than I."

"I'm only one hundred and eleven... I mean, and a half!"

"And I am much younger than that."

"You've got fifty thousand years on me!"

Javik threw his head back and closed all four of his eyes, letting out a full-bodied laugh that seemed to shake the room. "You asari are so easy to rattle. It is fun to see you become so easily frustrated."

Liara sighed and slumped in her chair. "You are frustrating, Javik. Frustrating and fascinating."

Javik stopped laughing suddenly and became serious. "You fascinate me too... Liara."

****

Garrus sighed as he opened the cupboards of the mess hall and rummaged around for a quick snack before heading back to the medbay. It was late, and he'd left Shepard and London sleeping together in one of the beds, with his wife curled around their daughter as if she was using her body to shield her. Garrus could relate; he'd almost tackled Chakwas when she'd put an IV of fluids into London's arm and his daughter had shrieked. Perhaps he was over-reactive and sensitive, but the only two things he could say he'd ever gotten right in his life were his wife and daughter, and he'd never let either of them be hurt or taken away from him. Never again. 

Vega had eventually ventured up from the shuttle bay to check in. He'd been quiet and withdrawn until Shepard had raced into his arms and hugged him, thanking him. It had seemed to shake Vega out of his self-deprecating behaviour and he had shrugged and humbly mumbled that he'd only done what needed to be done. Garrus was a bit more weary of thanking the marine; he knew that Vega had choked the life out of Dantius, and that it had been blatant overkill, but Garrus knew that he'd likely have done the same damn thing had he been in Vega's shoes. 

The sound of a door opening startled Garrus and he spun around, instinctively reaching for the pistol that wasn't there. His heart rate dropped, but his curiousity was piqued as Javik walked from Liara's room into the mess hall. 

"Ah, Vakarian. I did not expect anyone to be up at this hour," the Prothean said.

Garrus gaped at him awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Javik wasn't dressed in his usual armour, and was instead wearing what looked to be a loose black onesie. 

"You mean, you didn't expect to get caught coming out of Liara's cabin looking like that," Garrus managed to blurt out. 

Javik smiled slightly. "Perhaps not."

Garrus stared at him silently, not hiding the surprise on his face.

"We are writing a book together," Javik shrugged.

Garrus nodded and then slowly turned back towards the medbay. 

"Vakarian?" came the voice from behind him. 

"Yes, Javik?"

"I would... appreciate it if you did not mention this to anyone."

"Of course," Garrus said. He meant it, too. He'd do anything to forget the image of the Prothean in his skivvies emerging from Liara's cabin in the middle of the night. Besides, Garrus was certain that writing a book didn't usually involve underwear. 


	19. The Second Round (or: Morning Sickness)

Tali was happy. She cradled her pregnant belly and looked on as Jona and Kal played on the living room floor. Kal was explaining to Jona the history of the Migrant Fleet lovingly, though they’d agreed to keep what had happened to Jona’s parents quiet until he was old enough, but Tali wasn’t sure that one could ever be old enough to learn that his parents were dead. Still, it warmed her heart every time Jona called her ‘Mom’ and Kal ‘Dad’.

The timer on the meal beeped, and she called out, “Lunch is ready!”

Kal’s face lit up and he turned, wide-eyed, to his son. “Food time!”

Jona’s face broke out into a massive smile and he giggled. “Yay! I’m hungry!”

Living without their masks was a luxury – Tali loved that she could come home and simply kiss her little family hello without having to worry about an infection. The geth had been invaluable, and the process to adapt the quarian people to life without their suits had been streamlined, easy, and much quicker than they had predicted.

Their life on Rannoch hadn’t been completely without incident, though. The older generation still harboured doubts and fear about the geth, regardless of all the good the geth had done, and it had caused a large divide between the older and younger generations. Tali, now a diplomat, had had to make the peace on more than one occasion, but she had learned from Shepard, and Shepard was the best.

_It’s fun to watch you shout._

Kal ruffled Jona’s hair and walked up behind his wife, hugging her tightly. “How’s the littlest Reegar cooking?”

She smiled and turned to him, giving him a kiss. At the table, Jona groaned in embarrassment.

“He or she is cooking quite nicely,” Tali said, patting her belly.

“At least your maternity leave kicks in soon,” Kal said, planting a large kiss on the top of her belly, “then you can get away from all the… uh, stress.”

Tali gave her husband a wary look. Kal, as reluctant as he had been in the beginning to fight alongside the geth, now led an accomplished marine unit of skilled quarian marines, geth soldiers, and more than one geth Prime. He often remarked at how easy it was to command the geth units, but they were still individuals, and he’d had to discipline one of the Primes early on in his command. It had been a new experience for him.

Kal stepped closer to her. “Any word on what they’re doing about-?”

Tali held up her hand. “I don’t want to talk about work in front of Jona.”

She handed her husband a plate of food. “Here – eat. I should call Shepard about that, anyways. We can talk later.”

As she exited the room, she heard Kal speaking to Jona: “You know I married your mother for her cooking.”

Tali hailed Shepard on her omnitool and was confused when Shepard didn’t answer. She checked the time on the Citadel – it was midday, so Shepard should be up. She wasn’t on tour, so she’d probably be home. Tali tried again.

_“Tali?”_

“Shepard? Are you all right?” Tali squinted at the screen. Shepard looked as if she were sitting, her head resting on something.

_“I’m fine. Just in the bathroom.”_

“Oh, keelah! Why did you pick up?”

_“You called twice! I thought it might be important.”_

“Not when you’re on the toilet!”

_“I’m not… technically. Just having a bout of the flu, I think. I’ll be fine.”_

Tali looked warily at the screen. “Well, at least cut your audio if you’re going to throw up.”

_“Shut it. How are_ you? _How’s baby?”_

“Baby’s fine. I’d ask how you are, but if you’re speaking to me from the bathroom floor, then I think I know.”

Shepard chuckled, _“You know me so well. Anyways, what’s up?”_

“I need some advice about a diplomatic matter here on Rannoch.”

_“Of course. What’s going on?”_

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard anything, but we’ve been getting reports about quarians entering into… uh… _relationships_ with geth units.”

Silence on the other end.

“Shepard?”            

_“I’m still here. Did you just say what I think you said?”_

“Yes.”

_“Wow.”_

“Yup. What do we do? We’ve recognized the geth as a people, but they’re still AIs! They’re… robots.”

_“I see why you didn’t approach Joker about this.”_

“That’s not the same. EDI is a… person.”

_“Yes, but she’s also an AI. You put her back together.”_

Tali gulped, “This is making my brain hurt.”

_“Don’t stress yourself out. We need the next generation of Reegar’s to come into this galaxy peacefully.”_

“Hopefully there is still peace on Rannoch by the time he or she arrives.”

_“There will be.”_

“But what if this starts another conflict with the geth? What do I do? Can we just grant these… uh… _couples_ the freedom to be together? Are the geth actually _people_?”

_“Tali, I don’t think that’s one I can answer. You know more about the geth than anybody, but remember what you told Legion.”_

“Yes, that’s true. I guess…”

_“Oh no. Hold on. I’ll try to cut the aud-“_

Tali winced as Shepard vomited into the toilet. “Now I’m going to be sick.”

_“I’m so sorry, Tali. I didn’t mean to…”_

“You’re not pregnant again, are you?” Tali interrupted.

A pause, and then, _“I don’t think so.”_

Tali sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Shepard…”

_“I mean… it’s possible.”_

“How long have you been sick for?”

_“A few days.”_

“A few days? Shepard! Why haven’t you gone to the clinic?”

_“I hate hospitals.”_

“You are so stubborn. That doesn’t sound like the flu to me, Shepard. That sounds like morning sickness.”

_“I hate morning sickness.”_

“Go to the clinic.”

She could see Shepard pout on the screen, and Tali was now convinced.

_“I guess I have been craving turian chocolate…”_

“Keelah, Shepard. You are so pregnant.”


	20. Tell Me a Story (or: Uncle James)

"Uncle James?"

The tiny voice surprised him and woke him with a start. He opened his eyes and turned his head over to see the piercing blue eyes of London Vakarian. She had crawled up on the couch beside him and her little hand was resting on his arm. 

"What's up, mi nena? David isn't up, is he?"

"No, Uncle James. He's still sleeping."

"Then what did you wake me up for, kid? Dios! Your uncle can't even get some shut eye?"

London crossed her arms and gave him a look that was so like her mother it made him laugh. That, and paired with the blue of the Vakarian eyes... the little girl was such a combination of both of her parents it was almost frightening. 

"You're supposed to be looking after us, not sleeping!" 

Yep, this was definitely Shepard's kid. 

"You're right, nena. I'm sorry. What's your question?"

"Can you tell me stories about my mom and dad? Before the war?"

"Haven't they told you any?" he asked, hesitant to continue this line of questioning. London was five now, and the doctors had assured Shepard and Garrus that she wouldn’t remember her kidnapping, but he wasn’t sure if Shepard and Garrus had ever told her. He certainly wasn’t going to be the one to.

"Yes, and Grandma Hannah and Grandpa Tate and Auntie Solana have told me some stories, but Aunt Tali said that you had more stories than anyone."

"Your Aunt Tali has known your mom and dad a lot longer than me. Liara, too. Or Kaidan..."

London made a face. "Uncle Kaidan is so _booooooring_."

"Aha! You should tell him that. Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Did they love each other back then?"

James smiled. "Kid, you have no idea how much. Your dad was the only one I'd ever seen your mom act completely relaxed around, you know. Still is... but you want stories, huh?"

"Yes!"

"Well, back during the Reaper War we had this Prothean on our crew - uh, do you know about Protheans?"

London nodded vigorously. "Auntie Liara told me ALL about them. She even showed me a picture of one that served on the Normandy. She said that I’ll meet him one day when he’s done travelling."

"Well, this Prothean is named Javik. When we made the final push to the beam to get to the Citadel, Javik went groundside with your mom and dad. And your dad got hurt by a Reaper."

London's hand had tightened around James' arm and her eyes grew wide. "Daddy got hurt?"

"Yeah. He got hurt real bad. Your mom called the Normandy in to evacuate him so he could get better. Javik helped get your dad onto the Normandy and then your mom had to leave and get to the beam."

"To get to the Citadel?"

"Yeah. Your dad didn't want her to go, and Javik told us later that it was so obvious how much they loved each other in that moment. And this Javik isn't a really soft and cuddly guy, but even he said that it really touched him. Your mom only wanted your dad to be safe and your dad only wanted to be by your mom's side. But your dad knew that your mom had to leave him then and that he might never see her again."

London sat back on the couch and studied James' face, her eyes scrunched up in another decidedly 'Shepard' facial expression. She sighed and splayed her little legs out in front of her, her spurs catching the leather of the couch and making a loud scratching sound. 

"But when did Mommy come back?"

James stiffened. He wasn't sure how much London knew about the final battle and, as smart as the five-year-old was, he wasn't sure how much he could tell her without Shepard and Vakarian tearing him a new one when they got home. 

"She came back eventually, nena."

"To the Normandy?"

"No. Your mom was found where the beam had been after she destroyed the Reapers. By Miranda."

"Aunt Miri!"

"Yeah. And then your mom needed help because she was very, very hurt. And Miranda and another doctor helped to heal her. But it took a long time before your mom was healed enough to talk or even walk again."

"Did Daddy help find her?"

"No. We crashed in the Normandy and it took us a long time to get back to Earth. But as soon as we got there, your dad rushed to your mom and didn't leave her side until she got better. Did you know that he asked her to marry him when she was still in hospital?"

London shook her head. "Did you go to their wedding?"

"Yeah. I was there. It was a pretty great day."

"Wish I coulda been there."

"I think I could find some pictures and maybe a vid if you wanted to see it?"

London clapped her hands together and let out a little squeal. "Yes please!"

She snuggled in closer to James as he brought up his omnitool and started showing her the photos he'd taken of Shepard in her dress, Shepard and Garrus saying their vows, and Shepard and Garrus smiling as they walked down the aisle together, waving at the small group of attendees. 

"There's Grandma!" London cried as he flipped past a photo of Hannah Shepard and Tate Vakarian hugging. "And Grandpa Tate! And Grandpa Adrien!"

James smiled down at the warm little body squished into his side and he suddenly flashed back to the moment he'd seen her after she'd been born. The entire crew of the Normandy had filled the hospital and he'd been one of the first allowed in after Shepard had given birth. He could see the look of pride and joy on Garrus' face as he introduced his daughter to his friends, and the exhausted smile on Shepard's face as she tenderly handed her newborn to James, keeping a keen eye on him constantly. It had almost made him cry. She'd been the biggest, and best, surprise. 

And then when London had been kidnapped... he remembered the intense rage that had surged through him when they finally cornered Melora and got their baby back. He'd held Melora's neck in his hands and crushed her windpipe, channeling his anger into his hands and watching the life drain from her eyes. 

It had all cumulated into this moment, sitting here with his niece - the very first turian-human hybrid - watching her tiny hands clasp together and enjoying the noise of her squeal each time she recognized someone in the vid that was now playing of her parents' wedding. 

It had all been so worth it. 

The room was punctuated by a loud cry as the only other turian-human hybrid in the house made his presence known.

"David's up!" London said, catapulting herself off of the bed. 

"You're on diaper duty, right?" James teased.

London tossed yet another 'Shepard' look over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes. "Uncle James... you need to learn how to babysit."

***

James was flipping through the same pictures that he and London had gone through earlier, feeling reminiscent, when he heard the front door open and the distinct voices of Shepard and Garrus. 

"If they make one more Blasto movie..." Shepard was saying. 

Garrus laughed, "Maybe they'll defrost another Prothean?"

"Hah! Javik would start a riot."

"Hey, could you two keep it down? I just got your children to bed," James hissed at them. 

Shepard gave him a smile. "Sorry, James. Did they give you any trouble tonight?"

"Nah. David ate and then went right to sleep with no trouble, and London made me read her three stories before she'd even agree to lay down, but they were good."

Garrus smiled fondly and squeezed Shepard's shoulder. "Yeah. We're lucky. I'm going to go check in on them."

She kissed his cheek. "I'll be right up."

James nodded at Vakarian and turned to Shepard. "That London is sharp as a whip, you know."

"Oh, trust me, I know."

"And she's very curious. She was asking questions about you and Garrus."

Shepard laughed, "She does that a lot. Last time Tali and Kal were here, she grilled them. What did you tell her?"

"I showed her some pictures and a vid of your wedding, and then I told her what Javik told me after you made the final push to the beam."

Shepard gave him a sharp glance. "What? What did you say?"

"I left out the blood and guts and the depressing shit. Just told her that even Javik was moved by your goodbye."

Shepard's eyes glossed over and a single tear escaped her cheek. "That was the hardest goodbye I've ever said."

James patted her on the shoulder. "But it wasn't forever. Look at what you've got now. You've got an amazing family, and a daughter who is going to tear shit up when she gets older."

"And friends like you."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm hard to get rid of." 

Shepard gave him a hug. “Yeah, but we don’t blame you for that.”

James stiffened, but returned the hug. “Right, Lola. Anyways…”

“Things getting a little too soft for you?”

He chuckled, “Yeah, but if you guys ever want to go out on a date again… uh, you know… I’m availability for babysitting duty.”

Shepard laughed heartily, “Damn, maybe you do need to leave. You’re getting too soft for _me_.”


	21. Friends Are the Family We Choose (or: Worth It)

It never failed to amaze Shepard how _normal_ EDI seemed. Aside from the fact that the woman never aged, of course. The same couldn’t be said for EDI’s companion though; Vrolik’s syndrome had really sunk its teeth into Jeff Moreau and was aging him faster than it should have, sending him into a wheelchair about three years after they’d rescued London from Omega, and putting him out of commission for good. The pilot now spent his time being wheeled around by EDI – his "wife-slave", he called her – and inspecting any high-level Alliance ships. He also taught basic flight in a special school on the Citadel where the different species’ navies sent their top helmsmen.

But now, as EDI stood in front of her, stirring something spiced very obviously with curry, Shepard still couldn’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that EDI wasn’t actually _human_.

“What are we eating tonight, EDI?” Shepard asked, taking a swig of her beer.

“I have procured a special levo delicacy that we can all enjoy.”

“Do you know what it’s called?”

EDI met her eyes and upturned her mouth in a sly smile. “It’s a surprise.”

“You won’t even give me a hint?”

“I have it under control, Shepard. You don’t need to worry.”

“All right, EDI. You haven’t poisoned Joker yet, so I’m sure it will be all right.”

The other woman smiled at her, “They will enjoy it without the threat of botulism or poisoning. This I assure you.”

“Thank you. That helps a bit I guess.”

EDI turned from the stove and looked fondly into the next room where Joker and Garrus were telling an exaggerated version of one of their war stories. Shepard could hear the varied laughter of her children and locked eyes with her husband. He tilted his beer to her and she smiled at him brightly.

“It is nice to see you as a family woman, Shepard. It suits you.”

“Thank you, EDI. I have to admit that it wasn’t what I saw for my future, but I would do anything for my kids.”

“Are you enjoying living on the Citadel?”

Shepard shrugged and took another sip of her beer. “I miss Earth. But the kids love it here and it makes sense for us to be here. Earth isn’t that far away, so I can commute. It’s worked for us the past nine years.”

“Is Garrus enjoying his new role?”

“I think he is, though he’d never admit it. As much as he hates bureaucracy, being Executor means that he gets to merge his bureaucratic duties with the law and he enjoys the whole enforcing the law part of it. Plus, he likes being able to make some improvements, and he's got a keen eye for what hasn't worked for C-Sec in the past.”

“It could be worse, Shepard: he could be a diplomat.”

Shepard laughed, “Or a politician!”

“And the kids?” EDI asked, an almost pained expression souring her usually prim face.

Shepard looked back over at her children fondly, but her heart rate really picked up as she studied her husband. “I’ve really enjoyed watching Garrus as a father.”

“He seems as though he’s taken very well to it.”

“He has. He loves being around them, telling them stories, showing them his guns,” Shepard chuckled, “London told me the other day that she wanted to be just like me and Garrus when she grows up – she wants to enlist. Garrus was ecstatic.”

“And what do you think?”

“It scares me, but it makes me proud in a sense. Though I’m sure she’ll probably change her mind once she’s old enough. The Alliance and the turian military have both offered our children spots in their ranks when they’re old enough. They’ve done it for most of the turian-human hybrid children. Miranda’s daughter Lydia is a little spitfire; she’ll be smarter than both Miranda and Dominic. Maybe she's got a future in bio-engineering?”

“And your boys?” EDI was asking.

Shepard sighed. Her boys were another story altogether; David was five and Alexander three, but they were busy and smart, and both were fascinated with the Navy and, much to her dismay, Daddy’s rifle collection. But London, even at eight years old, had really stepped into the role of big sister, and often helped her mother catch the agile little boys as they tore around the house, scolding them, at least until Garrus arrived home. Then they were perfect little angels and he was relative putty in their little hands.

“David has learned how to make calls via omnitool,” Shepard said, “So he’s taken to calling Garrus while he’s at work if I’ve told him that he can’t have something and complaining about me. Garrus thinks it’s hilarious. It’s become hard to control. And London… that girl can wail like you’ve never heard. It’s like a Banshee, EDI. I’d take an infinite loop of husk sounds over that girl screaming at me any day. Alex is quiet and pensive, but that was how David was before he turned five. Now I can’t keep him out of anything.”

EDI chuckled, “You love being a mother though, don’t you?”

Shepard smiled. “It has its perks.”

“I envy you.”

“There are still lots of orphans that need good homes, EDI.”

“But I do not believe that this home would be the most constructive home to grow up in.”

“Why not?”

EDI sighed and placed her hand on her face in a decidedly human gesture, “Jeff is not agile and I fear that not being able to participate in family activities would be emotionally damaging to him. And, in turn, this would effect the livelihood of the child as well.”

Shepard looked over at Joker, who had pulled David onto his lap and was tickling him, a wide smile plastered over his face. London was in a huff, standing beside his wheelchair, her arms crossed over her chest in a move she’d evidently learned from her father, and tapping her foot on the ground in a move she'd learned from her mother.

“Uncle Jeff,” she heard London’s familiar whine, “what about me?”

Garrus grabbed his daughter and brought her onto his own lap. “And what about Dad?”

She heard London shriek with laughter as Garrus began to tickle her.

“MOM!” Shepard heard London scream, “MOM! He’s _tickling_ me!”

“Play nice in there,” Shepard warned.

“Mom?” the youngest Vakarian child, Alexander Thane, wandered into the kitchen, clutching a book. His big green eyes were thoughtful. “Read to me?”

Shepard bent down and kissed his forehead. “I think your Uncle Jeff would love to read to you. He needs a break from your brother and sister.”

Alex nodded at his mom and then turned and smiled at his aunt. “Dinner yet, Aunt EDI?”

“Soon, Alex,” EDI replied. She watched him slowly walk back into the living room and approach his uncle with his book.

"Read to me, Uncle Jeff?" Alex asked.

EDI smiled as Joker looked over and met her eyes with a smile of his own.

“He is a good uncle to your children,” EDI said finally.

“Have you two ever talked about starting a family?”

EDI turned back to the stove and lifted the lid off of one of the pots in front of her. It filled the kitchen with a delicious, spicy scent, and Shepard felt her mouth begin to water.

“I have attempted to approach the subject with him, but Jeff is not very receptive to my inquiries. The last time I tried to speak with him about it, he suggested that we buy some fish.”

“Fish are hard to take care of. Believe me. Children are _almost_ easier – they let you know before they starve to death. But, then again, there isn’t really a VI that can handle your children for you.”

“I suppose I must simply accept that I was very literally not built to be a mother. Though it is nice to have children in the house every once in a while. We both enjoy it immensely when your family visits.”

Shepard stuck a spoon into the curry quickly before EDI could swat her away. “You can take them anytime you want.”

“I may take you up on that, Shepard. There are several child-friendly areas on the Citadel that they may enjoy exploring with me.”

“EDI, remember when you asked me for help before you and Joker got together, and I told you that your company was all that matters?”

“Yes. I have a perfect memory.”

“It’s the same thing with my kids – you can buy them whatever you want, hell, you can take them whatever you want, but, in the end,” Shepard sighed, looking lovingly at her family in the next room, “it’s your company that matters."

EDI looked back at the scene in the living room, and a broad smile hit her lips. “Yes, yes, you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right!” Shepard joked, “I’m always right.”

EDI rolled her eyes. “You do have a higher percentage of being correct in most situations.”

“Hah! Can you repeat that when Garrus is around?”

“No.”

Shepard chuckled and stuck a spoon into the curry again. EDI didn’t even swat her hand away, but Shepard saw her smirk.

EDI sighed and looked down at the curry that she couldn’t taste, and then over at the children that she couldn’t have. There were so many things surrounding her that reminded her of just what she couldn’t have, but as she watched Shepard and Garrus lock eyes over their children’s heads, and heard Jeff’s loud, expressive voices as he read to Alex, she realized that everything she’d ever wanted was right in front of her.

And, as she looked at Shepard, who had dipped another spoon into the curry, she knew that she felt the very same way.


End file.
